The Martin and Ruthie Story
by CMSGirl
Summary: What happens when a guy can't stop thinking about a certin girl? What happens when at the same party they both get drunk? What happens when he wakes up thinking it was all a dream? What will she do when consquence come from one night?
1. Chapter One: The Dress

**Note: This is as if the ninth season was the last season******

**Chapter One**

"The Dress"

Ruthie Camden looked at her reflection again and smiled. She had to admit the short sleeved red dress made her look hot.

"Come Out!" her best friend Olivia called from outside of the dressing room. Ruthie smiled and walked out.

"Turn." her ex-boyfriend now best friend and fashion consultant Freddie said. Ruthie did a quick twirl and smiled, "So?"

"You look hot!" Olivia said, "You have to get it!"

"It's three hundred dollars." Ruthie said looking at her reflection once again.

"No it's not." Olivia said smiling, "It's on sale for two fifty."

"It would look great with those red pumps I got you for you're birthday." Freddie said agreeing with Olivia.

"My parents would never let me out of the house!" Ruthie said.

"True." Olivia said, "But still look at yourself."

Olivia sometimes forgot the difference in their two home lives. Ruthie's parents were happily married and Olivia's parents were bitterly divorced. Ruthie's parents weren't poor but they weren't rich like Olivia's parents. Ruthie's parents cared how she dressed and Olivia's parents wouldn't care if she walked around in her underwear.

"You can keep it at my house. Todd would love it." Olivia said referring to Ruthie's boyfriend.

"I can't!" Ruthie said heading towards the dressing room, "It's too much."

"I'll get it for you." Olivia said trying again.

"No!" Ruthie said heading into the dressing room to change. After Ruthie changed back into her Capri's and top she headed out to find Olivia waiting and Freddie gone.

"Where's Freddie?"

"Over their," Olivia said pointing, "flirting with the salesman. Let's go get some coffee and come get him when we're done. It could be awhile."

Martin Brewer was just waking up from having the flew and he felt like crap. Turning over he saw his girlfriend Lisa sitting in the chair beside his bed with a look of annoyance.

"Good you're awake." She said standing, "I guess that means I can leave. By the way were over."

"What? Why? When did you get here?" Martin asked.

"You canceled are date because you were sick and I didn't believe you. So I made you some soup and came over to catch you in your lie." She said.

"I wasn't lying!"

"I know that now." Lisa said picking her purse up off the floor, "I stayed and helped you."

"Then why are you breaking up with me?"

"Because you called out another woman's name in your sleep!" She said heading for the door.

"Who's name?" Martin asked already knowing the answer.

"Ruthie!" she said slamming the door behind her. Martin could hear her yelling, "I hope you two will be happy together."

Martin groaned throwing a hand over his face. He knew he'd been having dreams about Ruthie but calling out her name was a bit much. She was too young for him he kept telling himself. She was going to be just a senior in high school and he was about become a junior in college. He just couldn't seem to stop thinking about her. She popped into his head at the strangest and most inconvenient moments. Sighing he flung the covers off and headed into his small kitchen.

"Mac is that you?" Ruthie said standing up from the table she'd been sitting at with Olivia, "What are you doing here?"

"Visiting my parents." Mac said walking over, "Their back together."

"That's great." Ruthie said smiling.

"I know." Mac said, "And this is?"

"Olivia Mac. Mac Oliva." Ruthie said make a quick introduction.

"Would you like to join us?" Olivia asked smiling flirtatiously.

"Love to!" Mac said taking a seat next Olivia and grinning ear to ear.

After finishing coffee and catching up with Mac, Olivia and Ruthie went to find Freddie. As expected he was still flirting with the salesman. They had to drag him away. As they pulled him through the automatic doors he yelled out, "Call me! I'm listed!"

"Mac's cute." Olivia said getting into the driver's seat of her red convertible Mercedes Benz.

"Who's Mac?" Freddie asked.

"No one," Ruthie said, "And I kind of guessed that when you couldn't stop staring at him and then there was the whole inviting him to your party."

"I said he was hot!"

"No you said he was cute." Ruthie corrected.

"You did!" Freddie said agreeing, "Now would someone please tell me who Mac is!"

"He's Martin's friend." Ruthie answered.

"Martin's friend huh? Interesting." Freddie said scratching his chin, "Very interesting."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Ruthie asked turning so she could see him in the backseat.

"Nothing!" Freddie said closing his big mouth as they turned into Ruthie's driveway, "Absolutely nothing."

"I got something for you when you weren't looking." Olivia said flying to her trunk.

"You!?" Freddie yelled.

"Oh alright 'we' got you something." Olivia said handing Ruthie a white box.

"The dress." Ruthie said opening it, "You guys shouldn't have. Why?"

"You deserved it!" Olivia said.

"I can't take." Ruthie said handing the box back.

"Yes you can. Don't be ungrateful." Freddie said getting out of the car, "Take the damn dress and say thank you."

"Thank you." Ruthie said giving them each a hug.

"I'll keep it at my house. You can change into it their." Olivia said putting it back into the trunk.

"Bye Babe." Olivia said blowing a kiss and hoping into her car.

"What about me?" Freddie said.

"Bye Fred Flintstone." Oliva said pulling out. Walking up to her house Ruthie turned to Freddie, "What did you mean earlier about Mac being Martin's friend. Really?"

"Nothing!" Freddie said, "Now come on let's go look in your closet for the perfect accessories for the dress."


	2. Chapter Two: The Party

**Chapter Two**

"**The Party"**

Martin ignored the phone until he heard Mac's voice, "Hello Martin's answering machine, please tell Martin I…."

"Hey Mac," Martin said answering, "What do you need?"

"What makes you think I need something?" Mac said, "As a matter of fact I was calling because I was concerned about you."

"You concerned?"

"Yeah me!" Mac said, "I think you need to get out and forget about Lisa."

What Mac didn't know was that Lisa wasn't who Martin was trying to forget about. Who he was trying to forget about wouldn't be so easy to get out of his mind. Martin shook his head and snapped out of it, "Get out where?"

"There's this party….." Mac began.

Ruthie stood in her new dress in front of the mirror. She had on the red pumps Freddie had given her for her birthday and a red chunky necklace. What no one knew was that under her dress she had a new set of lingerie that she intended to share with Todd. Sighing she wondered if she was making a big mistake.

"What's her name?" Martin asked after he realized that they were head all the way to Glen Oak.

"Who's name?" Mac asked with an innocent grin.

"The girl that you're driving all the way to Glen Oak for." Martin said eyeing him, "I'm not dumb there's a girl involved."

"Olivia!" Mac answered with a grin, "I have her number in my cell."

"Along with three hundred other women." Martin said.

"Your point?" Mac asked as he pulled up in front of a packed house. A huge packed house.

"Wow." Martin said, "It must have over a hundred bedrooms."

"What do you mean you need a break?" Ruthie asked knowing full well that he wanted to be able to see other girls when he went away to college in next week.

"I mean a break." Todd said, "We're not breaking up but we're free to see other people."

"You're an ass!" Ruthie said punching Todd in the face. She couldn't believe she'd been thinking about having sex with him. It hurt. It seemed guys kept leaving her for other women or in Freddie's cause a man.

Olivia Knew the instant she saw Ruthie coming down the packed stairs that something was wrong.

"What's the matter?"

"He wants to be able to see other people," Ruthie said, "but he doesn't want to break up."

"Dick." Olivia said, "I'm calling security."

"No!" Ruthie said, Olivia always had a way to make her smile.

"He needs to be roughened up." Olivia said.

"No." Ruthie said smiling.

"Just a little?" Olivia begged.

"No!" Ruthie repeated laughing. She'd just realized why Olivia was her friend.

Ruthie knew that Olivia's parties got a little wild and packed. That's why she never told her parents that she went to them. She always told them she was at Freddie's for the night or Olivia wasn't having a party at all. Ruthie also knew that the punch always got spiked. She knew this when she had a couple of glasses. Martin on the hand did not know it was spiked and he didn't know that he was at the same party with Ruthie.

"Kiss me." Ruthie said falling onto the bed and smiling up at him wickedly she repeated, "Kiss me."

"I am." Martin declared getting closer to her. He began to trail kisses down her neck and began to look for her zipper.

"I want this off." he said unable to find it.

"It's on the side." Ruthie said getting it herself. She slipped out of the gorgeous dress and revealed what was hidden beneath to Martin.

"Did you plan this?" Martin asked looking at her red lingerie with a smile.

"Maybe," Ruthie said, "but not with you."

"What's wrong with me?" Martin asked pulling off his boxers.

"Nothing!" Ruthie said eyeing him, "Absolutely nothing."


	3. Chapter Three: The Morning After

**Chapter Three**

"**The Morning After"**

Ruthie awoke with a throbbing headache and a passed out Martin beside her. Rubbing her head she slipped out of the bed and grabbed her clothes off the floor. She couldn't face Martin not now. What would he say? What if he regretted it? They had both been drunk. Walking out into the hall she glanced at her bedraggled reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a mess and her dress was wrinkled.

"Oh my god, I had sex!" Ruthie said, "With Martin Brewer."

Martin groaned waking up. He knew he'd had the dream again, but god it had been better than every time before. It had seemed so real. Opening his eyes he realized he wasn't in his apartment. He jumped out of the unknown bed to find himself naked as a jay bird.

"Shit!" he said grabbing his jeans when he spotted them. It took him all of about two minutes to realize he was at the same place the party had been. He must have passed out. The last thing he remembered was having a few glasses of punch. Putting on his shirt he went to find Mac.

Martin found Mac asleep in hid car. He pounded on the window causing Mac to jump up, his face was indented from the steering wheel and his hair was sticking straight up.

"You scared me!" Mac said taking a deep breath and unlocking the door.

"I think the punch was spiked." Martin said getting in, "I woke up in a guest room."

"At least you had a bed." Mac said starting up the car, but not before noticing the smell of Ruthie's perfume on Martin. He kept his mouth shut for once in his life he minded his own business.

"You slept with him? Didn't you?" Freddie tisked shaking his raven black gel spiked head in dismay.

"Um…" Ruthie began looking down. "Yeah I did?"

"Details!" Freddie screamed leaning in just as Olivia sashayed into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Ruthie slept with him!" Freddie told her.

"Who?" Olivia asked her eyes going big, "Not Dick Face Todd!"

"No Martin!" Freddie said.

"Martin?!" Olivia said shocked, "Now that's unexpected."

"I know." Freddie said, "She never would have slept with Todd. She would have backed out before anything happen. I told you she would end up with Martin, but I thought she would have consulted me first."

"You know how she is." Olivia said pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Stop talking about me as if I'm not here!" Ruthie screamed slamming down her glass of orange juice and breaking it into a million pieces.

"Somebody's first time wasn't good." Freddie said. Sighing Ruthie began to pick up the pieces of glass off the glass, "No it was wonderful!"

"Then why so hostile?" Freddie asked.

"How am I ever going to look him in the eyes again if he regretted it." she said, "We were both drunk and I left the bed before we could talk."

"He won't regret it!" Olivia said, "And leave that for the maid."

After Freddie and Olivia got every detail out of Ruthie they could, she went home. Not wanting to run into her parents she used the front door, but with no luck. Her mother stopped her before she made it up the stairs to her attic bedroom.

"Hey Ruthie." Annie said, "I didn't think you would home early. I thought you'd be home late and I'd have to come and drag you from Freddie's house."

"I have to study." Ruthie said the first thing coming to mind.

"Study?" Annie asked in suspicion, "School hasn't even started."

"I know." Ruthie said, "I just want to do well it is my senior year."

"Ok." Annie said knowing something wasn't right but letting it go for now.

Ruthie flung herself onto her bed. It had been wonderful and amazing experience. Everything she'd dreamed of and so much more. A tear fell at the thought of never feeling that way with him again. She touched her lips that were still swollen from his kiss. She loved Martin and she always would.

Martin loved Ruthie and he always had. Martin realized as he sat beside Mac driving away from her that he had to get rid of this obsession. He had to stop these dreams as wonderful as they were they had to end. He needed to go on with his life. She was never going to be with him in that way and she had a boyfriend, Martin thought biting back jealousy.


	4. Chapter Four: The Phone

**Chapter Four**

"**The Phone"**

Annie had begun to get really worried over Ruthie. She seemed withdrawn and depressed. Annie just couldn't figure out why. She had tried talking to Ruthie and so had Eric, still no answers. She was getting more worried by the second, so she decided to call and see if Olivia knew anything.

"I'm really worried about her." Annie told Olivia.

"I don't know what to tell you Mrs. Camden." Olivia said lying, "I haven't noticed anything."

"Are you sure?" Annie asked.

"Yes, she seems normal to me." Olivia said when her phone beeped, "Hold on Mrs. Camden someone's trying to call me."

"Olivia?" Freddie asked when she switched lines.

"Yeah Freddie?"

"Reverend Camden just called me he's worried about Ruthie." Freddie said.

"I have Mrs. Camden on the other line she's worried too!" Olivia said, "And she's trying to get me to talk."

"Ruthie will kill you!" Freddie said, "Don't tell her anything."

"I'm not dumb." Olivia said annoyed.

"Hold on someone's calling me." Freddie said.

"Freddie I need to get out!" Ruthie said, "My parents won't leave me alone."

"I have Olivia on the other line." Freddie said, "Do you want to go and see a movie and then go for some pizza?"

"Sure." Ruthie said, "Hold on someone's calling me."

"Hey Ruthie," Martin said.

"Hi Martin," Ruthie said, "I've been meaning to call you."

"I think we need to talk." Martin said, he decided the first step to getting over Ruthie would be to talk to her and see her to get her out of his system.

"Yeah, I agree." Ruthie said, "Hold on someone's calling me."

"Ruthie?" Todd said, "I think we need to talk."

"I have nothing to say to you." Ruthie said hanging up on him, "I'm sorry Martin."

"It's Freddie."

"Freddie I have to go. Martin's on the other line. He wants to talk." She said hanging up on Freddie.

"I want to get back together!" Todd said, "I made a big mistake."

"I thought I hung up on you!" Ruthie said hitting the talk button again, "Martin?"

"Still Freddie." Freddie said.

"Please go!" Ruthie ordered, "And isn't Olivia on your other line?"

"Shit!" Freddie said switching to Olivia, "Sorry Olivia. It was Ruthie and Martin just called her."

"Good!" Olivia said, "I was begging to get worried like Mrs. Camden. Oh god, Mrs. Camden!" Olivia said, "Bye Fred Flintstone."

"Hello?" Annie said, "Olivia?"

"I'm so sorry Mrs. Camden I'm back." Olivia said, "Sorry someone's calling again. Hold on one minute."

"Make her talk to me!" Todd begged Olivia.

"Dick face?!" Olivia screamed, "She's not going to talk to you!"

"But I'm still in love with her." Todd said.

"Your only saying that because after you broke it off with her she started flirted with Martin Brewer." Olivia said.

"No it's not that but, I really hate that Brewer guy." Todd said. "Hold on someone's calling me. I think it's her. Ruthie?"

"Sorry Todd this is Eric." Eric said, "I'm calling because I'm worried about Ruthie. Did you two have a fight or something?"

"Not exactly a fight." Todd said, "We broke up."

"Ruthie? You their? Ruthie?" Martin said, "Ruthie?"

"Martin?"

"Yeah, we're did you go?" Martin asked.

"A friend called and then my ex-boyfriend, well their both my ex's." Ruthie said, "Never mind about them. You wanted to talk."

"Yeah I just haven't seen you in awhile." Martin said.

"It hasn't been that long." Ruthie said, it had only been a week since the party.

"I know but we didn't really get to talk the last time I saw you." he said, "Your never going to believe what happened to me."

"What?"

"Mac dragged me to this party and apparently the punch was spiked and I passed out nude in a guest room." Martin said. Ruthie realized in that moment that Martin didn't remember being with her and it hurt.

"I guess I'm lucky no one caught me like that." he said.

"Yeah I guess you are." Ruthie said, "Martin I have to go."

"What's wrong?" Martin asked hearing something in her voice.

"Nothing," Ruthie said, "I'm just suppose to meet some friends for a movie and pizza."

"Oh ok." Martin said disappointed that she was going before he'd had a chance to get rid of his obsession with her.


	5. Chapter Five: The Pizza

**Note: I know that Lucy and Kevin didn't get Samson and Delilah until the tenth and I didn't add the tenth, but I love those guys (or girl in Delilah's case) so I'm adding them******

**Chapter Five**

"The Pizza"

"He doesn't remember anything." Ruthie told Olivia and Freddie as they waited for their pizza.

"Nothing?" Olivia asked.

"Nothing with me." Ruthie replied looking down and stirring her coke with her straw.

"Well what does he remember?" Freddie asked.

"That Mac dragged him to this party and that he's glad no one caught him in the nude." Ruthie said.

"I would have loved to catch him." Freddie said.

"Order Thirty five."

"I'll get it!" Ruthie said getting up, as soon as she walked away Olivia hit Freddie in the head.

"What was that for?" Freddie asked.

"How can you make a comment like that?" Olivia said annoyed.

"It's true." Freddie replied, "I'd love to see him in the buff."

"Is that all you can think of at a time like this, seeing Martin Brewer nude." Olivia said, "You know you are so selfish!"

"And your not?"

"No I'm not." Olivia replied sticking her head up high.

"Yeah right!" Freddie replied, "What about the time you got that hot guys number and then lost it. You made me miss my hair appointment. I defiantly wasn't being selfish when I helped you dig through all those trash cans. And then you found it in your jeans pocket."

"That was different!"

"No it wasn't!" Freddie said, "And how about the time…"

"Would you two knock it off?!" Ruthie said walking up, "You're acting like two year olds."

"Sorry." Freddie said.

"Sorry Flintstone." Olivia said grabbing a piece of cheese pizza and dabbing off the grease with her napkin.

"What are you doing?" Freddie asked.

"It cuts off a ton of calories." Olivia said.

"Oh ok." Freddie said grabbing a napkin and following Olivia's lead.

"You two are nuts!" Ruthie said taking a bite of her pizza just the way it was.

"What's with you?" Mac asked Martin after paying the pizza guy and setting the pizza on Martin's coffee table.

"What do you mean?" Martin asked plopping down on his couch.

"You just have been acting weird." Mac said, "Like yesterday that Hottie was all over you and you ignored her."

"What 'Hottie'?" Martin asked grabbing a slice of meat lover's pizza.

"The one we met at the movie theater." Mac said picking off the pepperonis, he hated those things.

"I don't remember any 'Hottie'!" Martin said taking Mac's discarded pepperonis and putting them on his pizza, he loved those things.

"That's my point." Mac said, "You need to get over Lisa and those are my pepperonis!"

"But you don't like pepperonis!"

"I know but their mine." Mac said.

"Fine." Martin said throwing them back on Mac's plate.

"Thank you." Mac said, "Now as I was saying you need to get over Lisa."

"It's not that easy." Martin said picturing Ruthie's face, "Can I have your pepperonis?"

"Sure." Mac said putting them on Martin's plate.

"So what's going on with you and that girl?"

"Olivia?" Mac asked.

"Yeah."

"Nothing yet," Mac said, "but their will be."

Lucy smiled as she put the frozen Digiorno pizza in the oven, "Kevin?"

"Yeah." Kevin said walking in with Savannah and their dogs Samson and Delilah.

"I have something I want to talk to you about." Lucy said handing Savannah a juice cup.

"Thank you." Savannah said.

"Your welcome, Honey." Lucy said helping Savannah climb up into a chair at the kitchen table.

"What do you want to talk about?" Kevin asked getting out the canned dog food and heating it up.

"I'm not sure if this is the best time," Lucy said, "but Kev I want a baby."

"What?" Kevin said dropping the dog bowl and breaking it.

"I want a baby." she said. Kevin smiled and flew across the room and picked Lucy up.

"I guess that's a yes?"

"Yes! Yes! And Yes!" Kevin said kissing Lucy's check. Lucy laughed and gave him a kiss as well.

"I love making babies with you, Mr. Kinkirk." she said.

"And we do make beautiful babies, Mrs. Kinkirk." he said, looking at Savannah.

Annie was taking out the second homemade pizza the twins had made with her when Ruthie walked in the back door.

"I know about Todd." Annie said walking over to Ruthie, "Do you want to talk about."

"No." Ruthie said and head up to her room to find Simon on Lucy's old bed eating a piece of pizza.

"What are you doing here?"

"I never turn down a free meal." Simon said.

"But that's not why you're here." Ruthie said eyeing him, "Why are you here?"

"I've hit a block." he said, "My first script was great but I can't come up with another idea. I thought maybe I could do something about you. You always were my inspiration."

"Simon, my life isn't that interesting." she said, "Sorry you'll have to find someone else."

"Will see." he said taking another bite of his pizza. There was nothing like a good slice of pizza on a Friday night.


	6. Chapter Six: The Dates and The Kiss

**Chapter Six**

**The Dates and The Kiss**

"Mac asked me out." Olivia told Ruthie and Freddie as she looked through the clothing rack.

"When?" Freddie asked.

"He called me last night." Olivia said holding a top up, "Do you like this?"

"Cute," Freddie said, "but not you."

"I'm so happy for you." Ruthie said she still wasn't herself but she was happy for her friend, "Can we go get a pretzel I'm starving."

"Anyway," Olivia said as they headed to the food court, "I was wondering…."

"What?" Ruthie asked buying her cheese pretzel.

"I want you guys to come with me." Olivia said.

"On your date?" Freddie and Ruthie asked in unison.

"We can make it a double." Olivia said.

"Don't you remember that Ruthie is the one that helped me come to terms with being gay?" Freddie said.

"Yeah!" Ruthie said agreeing, "We only went out so he could find out weather or not he was gay."

"And I am." Freddie said not giving Olivia a chance to speak, "I'm flaming hot gay!"

"Would you let me speak!?" Olivia said, I didn't mean you guys together. I meant I would set you guys up."

"Oh!" Freddie said grinning, "Then I'm in!"

"Ruthie?" Olivia begged.

"I'm not sure I'm ready." Ruthie replied as Simon walked up.

"Not ready for what?" Simon asked taking a bite of his pretzel.

"Did you follow me?"

"I told you I needed an idea for my screenplay." Simon said.

Martin was in the middle of writing his midterm essay when his phone rang, it was his dad, Beau.

"Hey." Martin said answering.

"Hi Martin," Beau said, "I have some good news."

"What?" Martin asked.

"I can't tell you over the phone. I was wondering if you would meet me at Oscar's Grill tomorrow for dinner and bring date." Beau said.

"Sure," Martin replied, "but I don't see why you can't tell me over the phone."

"Because I can't!" Beau said, "And dress nice."

"I will." Martin said hanging up. The last thing he wanted to do was find a date.

Later the next night Ruthie found herself on a double or triple date with Olivia and Freddie. Olivia couldn't take her eyes off Mac and Mac couldn't take his off Olivia. Freddie for once in his life couldn't stand someone. Johnny was probably the most annoying person in the world and he was all over Freddie. Ruthie's date Henry was really sweet but it was obvious that they had nothing in common.

"I think I made a mistake making this a double date." Olivia whispered to Ruthie when Mac went to the restroom.

"You think!" Ruthie said eyeing her. How she let Olivia talk her into to stuff like this she didn't know.

"I'm getting married." Beau told his son wrapping his arm around his fiancée Michelle the French fashion designer he'd been dating for the past three months.

"You're what?!" Martin yelled shocked.

"I'm getting married. We're getting married." Beau said grinning like a schoolboy.

"I can't believe this." Martin said, "Oh my god! You're pregnant?"

"No no no." Michelle said smiling sweetly, "We're in love."

"Aw how sweet." Martin's date Jenny said trying to lighten the mood, "Congratulations."

"Thank you." Beau said.

"Excuse me." Martin said getting up, "I have to go to the restroom."

"I should go talk to him." Beau said starting to get up.

"No let me." Michelle said standing up.

Ruthie felt a wave of nausea come over her standing up she said, "Excuse me."

"I should go check on her." Freddie said when Johnny began to lean in closer to him. Freddie found Ruthie in the girl's bathroom throwing up.

"Are you ok?" Freddie asked handing Ruthie a paper towel under the stall door.

"Yeah I'm fine." Ruthie said coming out, "I think I have the flu."

"You look like shit!" Freddie said.

"Thanks a lot!" Ruthie said splashing water into her face, "Come on let's go we have to get back to 'our dates'."

"Can't we just make a quick exist?" Freddie begged.

"No." Ruthie said walking out and not paying attention to what she was doing. Ruthie didn't even see Martin until she collided with him and fell back. Martin caught her before she hit the ground.

"Ruthie?" Martin said, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." she said not looking up at him, "Freddie you know what I want to go home."

"Thank god!" Freddie said, "Johnny ordered a creaser salad and I know he wants me."

"Martin, I'm sorry I know that was a shock to you. I'm not trying to replace…" Michelle began until she spotted Freddie, "Fredrick, darling!"

"Fredrick?" Ruthie and Martin asked in unison.

"He's my cousin." Michelle said as she gave Freddie air kisses.

"Michelle, I love that bag." Freddie said, "Is it from your new collection?"

"Yes." she said, "I was thinking about doing it in another color. What do you think?"

"Hmm…" Freddie began as another wave of nausea came over Ruthie.

"Freddie I really want to go home…"

"I'll take you." Martin said taking her hand and pulling her out to the parking lot, "I have to get out of here."

Ruthie sat beside Martin in her driveway. He looked really upset she thought to herself.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"He's getting married!"

"Your dad?" Ruthie questioned.

"Yes my dad," Martin said, "to that French Michelle woman that's related to your friend."

"If she's related to my friend Freddie she can't be that bad." Ruthie said turning to look in him in the eyes for the first time since the party.

"I'm sure she's great." he said, "Hell she's probably perfect for my dad but..."

"Your mom?" Ruthie said putting her hand on Martin's arm.

"It's hard enough seeing him date another woman," Martin said, "but marriage that's a whole new ball park."

"I'm sorry Martin." Ruthie said taking his hand in hers. Martin looked down at their entwined hands and then back up at her face.

"Ruthie?"

"Martin?" she said as he rubbed the back of his fingers against her cheek. He took her chin in the palm of his hands and pulled her close. At first their lips just touched then they teased and then she opened her mouth and the kiss deepen.

Martin had dreamed about this. He'd longed for her kiss for so long and he knew in that moment that his obsession with her wasn't going away but he wasn't sure he wanted it to anymore.


	7. Chapter Seven: The Fall

**Chapter Seven**

**The Fall**

Ruthie awoke the next morning in a state of bliss. Martin had kissed her and he hadn't been drunk. She was humming and she never hummed, Martin had done this to her put her in a state of happiness. She knew she had to tell Martin what had really happened at Olivia's party.

"Hey Freddie," Ruthie said calling him on the phone, "I need a ride to Martin's. Is your car out of the shop?"

"Yeah and I'll give you a ride. Their opening up a new mall their and I want to take a look around." Freddie said.

"Thanks." Ruthie said hanging up and grabbing her purse.

Annie was beginning to get a little worried and confused when Ruthie bounced into the kitchen. Only yesterday she had been so upset and now she was the complete opposite.

"Are you ok?" Annie asked her.

"Yeah better than ok…Great!" Ruthie said heading towards the door, "I'm going to Freddie's."

Martin was dancing around his tiny apartment in nothing but his Las Vegas casino boxer shorts, when there was a knock at the door. Without thinking or grabbing his pants he answered the door to find his date from last night, Jenny standing their.

"Jenny…Hi…" Martin began, "I'm sorry I left you last night."

"So am I." Jenny said fiddling with the tie on her jacket, "I would have loved to comfort you."

"Look Jenny…"

"No don't speak!" she said putting her fingers to his lips to silence him. Smiling she pushed him into a nearby chair and ripped her jacket off to reveal she had nothing on but lingerie underneath. She jumped on him before he could even think straight and it was at that moment that Ruthie walked in.

"I hate you!" she screamed and ran for the stairs, halfway down she lost her footing and fell.

"Ruthie?!" Martin screamed running to her, "Are you ok?"

When she didn't respond Martin began to get worried. He pulled her head into his lap not even thinking that he wasn't suppose to move her.

"What did you do to her?!" Freddie yelled charging into the apartment building.

"She fell!" Martin said pulling the hair out of Ruthie's face, "Call 9-1-1!"

The EMT's arrived in minutes but to Martin it felt like hours. Ruthie had begun to groan in pain but she still wasn't awake.

"Only one of you can go in the ambulance with her." the female EMT said as they began to put Ruthie on a gurney.

"I'm going with her!" Freddie and Martin said at the same time, "No I am!"

"I'm her best friend!" Freddie said.

"And I'm her boyfriend!"

"No your not!" Freddie said, "I'm going."

"You both can go if you stop yelling you're giving me a headache," the older EMT man said, "but go put on some pants why we strap her in, son."

Martin ran up to his apartment to find his pants. Jenny was sitting on his bed with her jacket back on.

"She's going to be ok." Jenny said coming up behind him and putting her hand on his butt, "Why don't we get back to what we were doing?"

"I'm in love with that girl." Martin said walking away from her, "And I have been for a long time. You might have just ruined everything."

"If I ruined everything why can't we fool around?" she asked.

"Because if I can fix this I'm going to." Martin said throwing a shirt on and heading down the stairs.


	8. Chapter Eight: The Hospital

**Chapter Eight **

**The Hospital**

Martin had to fight Freddie to let him sit next to Ruthie but finally Freddie had given in. Martin looked down at her beautiful pale face that was covered by an oxygen mask and he felt his heart tear. This was his fault. He took her hand in his and felt tears form in his eyes. It was then that he felt her squeeze his hand and then her hand went limp.

"I'm sorry Ruthie." he said knowing she couldn't hear him, "I should have told you how I felt a long time ago."

Ruthie felt like she was moving. She heard voices but all the faces were a blur. They were talking about her she knew that and they were talking about a baby. What baby? She wondered. She wanted to ask but she couldn't find her voice. She tried but no sound came out.

"What do you mean she fell down a flight of stairs?!" Annie yelled shaking Freddie, "And what were you two doing all the way up here?"

"Annie you're not helping." Eric said prying his wife's fingers off poor Freddie. Martin had begun to pace back and forth. He was worried out of his mind.

"Why aren't they telling us anything?" Martin asked scratching his head, "I can't take it."

"I want to see my daughter now!" Annie said running up to the nurse's desk and slamming her fist on the counter.

"Annie calm down." Eric said wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her over to a chair nearby.

Ruthie finally opened her eyes and asked confused, "Where am I?"

"You had a nasty fall." A female voice said walking over to her bed, "I'm Dr. Grant."

"Where am I?" Ruthie asked again.

"At the hospital." Dr. Grant replied.

"Am I ok?" Ruthie asked a little scared now.

"Your fine but I want you to stay in bed ok." Dr. Grant replied, "And the baby is alright too. It's a miracle you didn't miscarry considering you're so early on in your pregnancy."

"Baby?" Ruthie asked, "What baby? I'm not pregnant."

"You didn't know." Dr. Grant said looking down at her, "Your two months along."

"What?!" Ruthie said bouncing up a bit and then feeling pain shoot through her body.

"Calm down." Dr. Grant said, "You don't want to hurt yourself."

"Pregnant?" Ruthie said to herself, "I was late but I thought it was because I was stress."

"I can get you some pamphlets with information on your options." Dr. Grant said, "You have a big decision to make and soon."

"Are you going to tell anyone about this?" Ruthie asked.

"Not unless you want me too." Dr. Grant told her, "You have a whole bunch of people out in the waiting room wanting to see you. Do you want me to send them in?"

"Yes." Ruthie said still in shock.

Annie was the first to enter the room; she ran to Ruthie's bedside and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"You scared me." Annie said, "Are you in any pain? Do you need anything?"

"Can I have a glass of water?" Ruthie asked.

"I'm so glad you're alright." Eric said kissing his daughter's forehead as well.

"I've got flowers!" Freddie said entering the room with Olivia.

"Thank you." Ruthie said inhaling the smell of fresh daisies.

"Your welcome, Darling." Freddie said kissing her cheek followed by Olivia.

"I was in the middle of getting my toenails painted when I got the call." Olivia said making Ruthie smile, "One foot isn't done."

"Here's your water." Annie said handing her a glass.

Martin stood outside of Ruthie's hospital room pacing back and forth as he listened to everyone talking to Ruthie and comforting her. He just didn't have the strength to go in, yet sighing he did.

"Hey Ruthie." Martin said coming over to her bed, "Can we talk alone?"

"I'm kind of tired." Ruthie said turning over and going to sleep. Annie hurried everyone out of the room and then covered her daughter up with the blanket, pushed her hair back, and kissed her goodnight.

"I Love you, Ruthie." Annie said walking out.

Martin didn't know what he was going to do but he had to do something he couldn't lose her. He just couldn't. He headed for the gift shop to find her something. Freddie had gotten her flowers but Martin knew her favorite and no one else did.

"Do you have any gardenias?" he asked the cashier.

"What you see, is what you get." the teenage cashier said popping her bubble gum as she read her magazine, that when Martin saw the little card next to the cash register for Bob's Florist, it was the last one.

"Can I have this?" he asked.

"Whatever." she said popping her gum again. Martin grabbed the card and headed outside to make a call on his cell phone.

Annie and Eric headed down to the hospital cafeteria to fish out some hot coffee.

"I was really worried." Annie said, "She's going to be the death of me."

"Well now that that is over there's nothing else that can happen right." Eric said burning his tongue. Annie's cell rang after making sure Eric was ok she picked up her phone.

"Hello?"

"Mom?" Lucy said, "What kind of message is 'Your sister fell down the stairs. Gone to the hospital. Kevin has the boys.'? And is she ok? Tell me is Ruthie ok?"

"Your sister is fine." Annie said, "She just had a little accident."

"That wasn't a little message. You scared me, mom!" Lucy said.

"I was really worried when I left that message." Annie said.

"Well how is she?" Lucy asked.

"She seems fine." Annie said, "We just came from talking to her. She was really tired."

"I'm coming." Lucy said.

"Come tomorrow." Annie said, "Ruthie's asleep anyway."


	9. Chapter Nine: The Pamphlets and Decisons

**Chapter Nine**

**The Pamphlets and Life Altering Decisions**

Later that night Ruthie found herself truly alone at last. She couldn't believe what had happened to her today. This was not how she thought today was going to turn out. She was still a little shocked. Pregnant. Her, Ruthie Camden, Reverend Eric Camden's daughter, pregnant.

Now that everyone had left her Ruthie decided it was time to look over the pamphlets Dr. Grant had given her. Pulling them out from the night side table she felt her hands shake as she flipped through them. She didn't know what she was going to do. Her head was spinning have the baby or have an abortion? Drop out of school and raise the baby herself or give it up for adoption? An open adoption or a closed adoption? Tell Martin or not tell Martin?

She didn't know what to do. Martin had hurt her so badly. She'd fallen for him and hard. The thought of giving birth terrified her and doing it alone was even scarier. She had mixed feelings on abortion but because she hadn't lost the baby when she fell she felt like it had a purpose, right now she didn't know what that was.

Maybe she could give the baby up to a couple that couldn't have children or a gay couple. Then again could she give a baby up to complete strangers? How was she to know if the baby was being fed or clothed? Or loved?

Feelings overwhelmed her causing tears to form in her eyes. Wiping them away she crumbled up the pamphlets in her hand and threw them in the trash can across the room. She was mad at herself. How could she have let this happen? How could she have been so careless? Drunk or not?

She felt like screaming she felt like hitting someone. Closing her eyes she breathed in slowly and let her angry subside. Once she was once again calm she began to think about the options once more. She finally decided that the one conclusion that stayed the same in her mind was that she felt she'd brought this on herself. Finally she made her up. She was going to have the baby as for after that she was unsure. She wanted to find out more information on adoption. As for Martin he'd broken her heart she couldn't trust him with this. She could barely trust herself to make the right choice. Turning over Ruthie let herself cry.


	10. Chapter Ten: The Delivery Man

**Chapter Ten**

**The Delivery Man**

Ruthie awoke the next morning and for a minute forgot all that had transpired the day before. She had to push back tears when it all came crashing back, the night at the party, the real kiss, the woman in Martin's lap, the fall, and the pregnancy. Looking at her hands, Ruthie began to pull at the hospital bracelet that had begun to bug her. She still didn't know what she was going to do and it scared the hell out her.

Martin wasn't sure if what he was doing was going to be enough to fix what Ruthie thought she'd saw. He didn't know if flowers were going to work but he hoped and prayed.

"Do you want to write your own note or have it typed." the florist asked him smiling.

"What do you suggest?" he asked.

"Well typed is more professional and hand written is more personal." she said, "So it depends on what they are for and who they are for. So who are they for and for what?"

"They're for the girl I'm in love with and it's for an apology...kind of." Martin replied, he never told anyone about his private life but it didn't seem to matter if she wasn't in his _personal_ life.

"Then written without a doubt." the woman said handing him a pretty little note card and pen. Martin looked down at the note card before him, unsure as to what to say. The woman must have sensed this because she smiled and said, "Write what's in your heart. It works every time."

Martin sighed and picked up the pen and wrote the only words that could come to his mind. He prayed that this was all it would take.

_Ruthie, _

_I love you and I'm sorry._

_Love, _

_Martin _

Ruthie looked up from the note and slipped it back into its envelope. She was so hurt and upset that he thought that flowers and a little note could make up for what he'd done. The flowers and note only seemed to make her more upset and hurt, if that was even possible. She put the envelope back into the banquet and handed the flowers back to the delivery man.

"Send them back." she said turning over in her hospital bed.

"We don't usually do that. This has never happened before…." he began.

"Well there is a first time for everything." Ruthie said not turning back to look at him, "Please just send them back."

"Are you sure?" he asked still unsure as to what to do. This had never happened to him after all.

"Yes, I'm sure." Ruthie replied, "Send them back."

"She won't take them." the delivery man told Martin. Martin sighed and sat down. He wasn't sure what his next step should be, he knew he had to do something though. He couldn't risk losing her.

"Might I make a suggestion?" the delivery man offered smiling.

"Sure, why not?"

"No offense but I'm guessing you did something really bad?" the delivery man asked.

"Kind of." Martin replied.

"Well then you need to something big." he said.

"Like what?" Martin asked.

"It will cost a bit." he said.

"What?" Martin asked again, "Just tell me."

Ruthie was asleep when a knock on her hospital room door awoke her from her slumber.

"Who is it?" she asked half asleep.

"Delivery for Miss Camden." the same delivery man called from the now open doorway. Ruthie groaned turning over to see a line of men holding flowers.

"What?" Ruthie questioned rubbing her eyes to see if she was seeing things. Before she could say anything men began to set vases of gardenias all around her hospital room. She grabbed a card out of the closets set of flowers.

Ruthie,

I'm really sorry. You don't know what you saw.

Love,

Martin

Ruthie crumbled the card and turned to the flower delivery man and gave him a look. The poor guy knew in that moment that his plan had failed and that Martin guy was going to kick his ass, he'd spent over three hundred dollars on flowers.

"Send them back." Ruthie said.

Note: He'll find out don't worry:)


	11. Chapter Eleven: The Homecoming

**Chapter Eleven**

**The Homecoming **

Ruthie was still weak and a little bruised but she was still being released and she was thankful for that. She wanted to get out of the hospital so bad that she could have broke out in song when she saw Lucy enter her hospital room as the nurse was helping her into a wheelchair.

"Why is she in a wheelchair?" Lucy asked the nurse in a concerned voice.

"Procedure." The woman replied, "You're all signed out so I guess you're ready to go."

"Thanks." Ruthie said.

"I bet you're glad to be getting home." Lucy said as she wheeled Ruthie down the hospital halls.

"I guess." Ruthie said, "So why are you here?"

"I asked if I could pick you up." Lucy replied sarcastically, "Do you want me to go call mom and have her come?"

"No." Ruthie said, "I was just wondering."

"Kev and Savannah came too." Lucy said wheeling her through the automatic doors and over to the black SUV.

"Hey Ruthie." Kevin said helping Ruthie out of her wheelchair as Lucy held the door open, Ruthie slipped into the backseat beside little Savannah.

"Ruthie!?" Savannah squealed with delight.

"Hi Savannah." Ruthie said kissing her niece's cheek.

"Cookie!?" Savannah begged holding out her little hand. Lucy smiled and handed her daughter an animal cracker.

"Ruthie too!?" Savannah said pointing to her aunt.

"Do you want one?" Lucy asked her biting back laughter.

"Sure." Ruthie said surprised at how hungry she was.

After handing Ruthie the bag of animal crackers and leaving her in charge of feeding Savannah, Lucy got in the passenger seat and Kevin drove off. Silence filled the car after Savannah fell asleep with her little hand wrapped around Ruthie's hand.

"So are you happy to be going home?" Kevin asked breaking the silence at last.

"I guess." Ruthie said bringing it back.

"We're trying to have a baby." Lucy said trying to get Ruthie to talk.

"I thought we weren't going to tell anyone yet." Kevin said.

"Ruthie won't tell anyone." Lucy said gesturing with her hands. Neither Kevin nor Lucy seemed to notice that Ruthie hadn't responded to their big news.

"Is everything ready?" Annie asked for the thousandth time.

"It's all set!" Freddie said grinning, "We just need some tape or thumbtacks to hang up the banner."

"There's sticky tack in the top drawer next to the kitchen sink." Annie said pointing

"I'll get it." Olivia said bouncing off the chair she stood on.

Once the welcome home banner Sam and David had made was hung, Annie began to set the dinner places. They were having a small welcome home party for Ruthie. It was just going to be Annie, Eric, Sam, David, Olivia, Freddie, Kevin, Lucy, Savannah, and Ruthie of course.

"I hear a car." Eric said, "Everyone quiet."

"On the count of three," Annie said, "1-2-3."

"SURPRIZE!!!!!!" they screamed as the door opened.

"Surprise?" questioned Simon.

"False alarm."

"False alarm?" Ruthie said walking up behind Simon.

"SURPRIZE!!!!!" They screamed again.

After eating the delicious meal of Annie's, which happened to be Ruthie's favorite, Ruthie took Olivia and Freddie up to her room.

"I have something to tell you two." Ruthie said looking down as she took a seat on the end of her bed.

"Spill." Freddie asked plopping down on Lucy's old bed and getting that look he got when he thought he was about to get some juicy gossip. Ruthie sighed and mumbled under her breath.

"Huh?" Olivia and Freddie asked coming closer. Ruthie just mumbled again.

"Louder." Freddie begged.

"I'm pregnant!" she nearly yelled looking up at them both with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Pregnant?" Olivia said shocked.

"Yeah, pregnant." Ruthie said, "Two and half months pregnant."

"That means its Martin's." Freddie concluded.

"Of course it's Martins!" Ruthie said throwing her pillow at Freddie's head, "who else's baby would it be?"

Simon stopped dead in his tracks he'd heard almost every word. His little sister was pregnant. He wanted to run into her room and yell at her or comfort her but instead he headed back down the stairs and let her friends help her. For now.

Martin wished he could feel nothing at all instead of this aching pain that seemed to be tearing his heart apart. She wouldn't forgive him and he hadn't even done anything. He sighed taking another sip from the bottle of liquor in his hands. He never drank, he hated the feeling of being drunk but in this very moment he wanted to be sloppy drunk and to have her off his mind.

Mac walked in at that moment to find his friend sitting at his kitchen table and drinking liquor straight from the bottle. He walked right over and ripped it from his friend's hands.

"Hey!" Martin yelled, "Give me that back."

"You're never going to get her back this way." Mac said pouring the bottle down the kitchen drain.

"Mind your own fucking business." Martin said.

"Hmmm…Let me think…" Mac said, "No I don't think I will. You're my best friend and I'm not going to let this destroy you."

"Why not?" Martin asked, "It already has. I lost her."

"Go change your shirt." Mac said ignoring him as he began to clean Martin's kitchen, "Take a shower and shave. You look like a grizzly bear."


	12. Chapter Tweleve: The Agency

**Chapter Twelve **

**The Agency**

Simon spent the entire night thinking about the earth shattering secret that he'd overheard earlier that night. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the thought that his little sister was pregnant. He'd finally clamed himself down though.

The morning light began to peak through the blinds, Simon sighed realizing that he hadn't slept a wink. He knew that he had to talk to Ruthie but he didn't know how to approach the subject. He didn't know how to tell her he'd been spying on her and for his stupid screenplay, which he still had no clue what it was going to be about. Throwing the covers off and he headed down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Ruthie heard someone enter her room. Groaning at the intrution, she rolled over and opened her eyes to find Simon coming towards her with a breakfast tray.

"Good morning." Simon said setting the tray on her nightstand, "How do you feel?"

"I feel fine. What's this for?" she asked eyeing the brunt toast and the undercooked eggs.

"Can't a brother make his sister breakfast?" he said.

"Simon, I'm not dumb." She replied, "What's going on?"

"I know." he blurted out.

"Know what?"

"What you told Freddie and Olivia last night." he said sitting down on Lucy's old bed.

"You know?" Ruthie questioned. She felt so out of control and angry at herself. She knew that she'd let him down. Even worse she'd let herself down.

"Ruthie?" Simon said breaking the silence, "I'm here for you."

Ruthie looked up at her big brother and smiled through her tears. Simon got up from where he sat and went over and wrapped her in a supportive hug.

"I love you, Ruthie." he said.

"I love you too."

"What are you going to do?" Simon asked her.

"I'm not sure yet. Olivia and Freddie are going to go with me to this adoption agency today." she said, "but I want you to come. Will you?"

"Of course." he said and then broached the big question, "Have you told Martin?"

"No." Ruthie said looking away, "I haven't."

Mac felt like a mama bear or a papa bear considering he was male. He'd had to make Martin get dressed again this morning, he'd had to clean up his apartment, and do his laundry. Sighing he sat the plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon in front of Martin.

"I've done a lot for you, Man." Mac said, "But I'm not spoon feeding you. So eat."

"What's the point?" Martin replied pushing the plate away and laying his head down on the table.

Mac sighed again. He hadn't pictured today being like this. He hadn't planned to be force feeding Martin. In fact he'd planned to spend his Saturday at the movies with Olivia but, she'd cancelled at the last minute.

"Hello, my name is Beth Moore. Please have a seat." Mrs. Moore said gesturing towards the chairs in front of her desk.

"You've brought quite a crowd." Mrs. Moore said smiling at Freddie, Olivia, Simon, and Ruthie.

"Yeah." Ruthie replied, "So?"

"Oh yes." Mrs. Moore said, "I'm sure you're nervous and unsure as to how this works."

"Yes I am." Ruthie said.

"Well you don't need to be nervous and I'll explain everything." Mrs. Moore said smiling, "First off this agency only deals in open adoption. Is that ok?"

"What exactly is an open adoption?" Simon asked.

"The birth mother gets to pick out a couple from a book of candidates as well as after the adoption is final she will get updates and photos." Mrs. Moore said.

"That's fine." Ruthie said as her hands began to shake as Mrs. Moore handed her a book with candidate's photos and biographies.

"Why don't you have a look over this tonight and tell me the couples that you're interested in." Mrs. Moore said, "Then I can set up an interview with them."

After the interview with Mrs. Moore, Simon drove Ruthie back home. She remained quiet the whole way their.

"You ok?" Simon asked pulling into the driveway.

"No." Ruthie said turning away, "I'm not ok."


	13. Chapter Thirteen: The Big Decison

**Chapter Thirteen**

**The Big Decision**

Later that night Ruthie found herself alone in her bedroom flipping through the book of couple's that wanted a baby. Her heart went out to them but she felt like she was making a mistake. Sighing she set the book on her nightstand and went over to the calendar that hung on her wall, taking it down she walked over to her bed, and sat down in the middle Indian style. She counted out the months from the date of conception to her due date. She estimated that the baby would be born sometime between May 20th and May 25th. She took an ink pen out of her top drawer and circled that week of the 20th and wrote labor week in red.

She stuck the calendar in-between her mattress and her box spring. Sitting back down on her bed she sighed. She was still shocked at the situation in which she found herself. She couldn't believe that she'd let this happen and that she was contemplating giving up her baby to complete strangers. She realized in that moment that that was the first time she'd referred to the baby as hers. Ruthie laid her palm upon her stomach and felt tears slip out of her eyes. She was pregnant, really pregnant. It wasn't a joke.

Closing her eyes she wondered what her daughter or son would look like. Would he or she be tall like Martin or extremely short like her? Would her baby's hair be straight like Martin's or curly like hers?

She knew in that moment that she couldn't give her baby no matter what. She also remembered Mary's friends Frankie and Johnny; she remembered how selfish they had been. She didn't want to be that way. She didn't want her son or daughter to suffer because of her mistake but the truth was she was only seventeen and very young.

Could she really do this? Could she put her life aside and do what's best for her son or daughter. Shaking her head she looked at the book that still laid on her nightstand; she knew she was making a big decision in this moment. A decision that would affect the rest of her life, but the truth was that her life had already been affected and it was time for her to grow up and face the consequence of her actions.

Getting her robe up off the chair next to her vanity, Ruthie went to go find Simon and tell him that she'd decided to keep the baby. She needed his advice and she prayed for his help.


	14. Chapter Fourteen: The Confessions Part 1

**Chapter Fourteen**

**The Confessions Part One**

Freddie couldn't bring himself to pick Ruthie up for doctor's appointment until he'd at least confessed. He pushed the curtain back and took a seat.

"How long has it been since your last confession?" the priest asked.

"Three days." Freddie replied, "Father, I have something to confess."

"Then confess it."

"My friend Ruthie Camden is pregnant with Martin Brewer's baby. The clincher is Martin doesn't even know that they well you know…" Freddie said.

"Freddie is that you?" the priest questioned leaning forward and breaking the rules.

"Yes." Freddie replied.

"Fredrick, how many times must I tell you not to use names and what exactly does this have to do with you?"

"I had to tell someone or I was going to burst." Freddie said stepping out of the confessional, followed by priest Mcguffy, "I didn't want to tell the wrong person so…"

"Here you are." the priest summarized.

"Yeah."

"Again Freddie you can't keep coming to me with gossip." Mcguffy said.

"I know…but it's better then spreading it." Freddie said.

"I suppose your right, Son." the priest said smiling, "Send Miss Camden to me if she needs to talk or help telling her parents. I assume she hasn't told the reverend or his wife?"

"You've assumed correctly." Freddie said with a sigh, "I'm glad I told you and not someone else. That way Ruthie can decide when she's ready to tell the world."

"What do you mean Ruthie's pregnant?" Mac asked spitting out his orange soda and getting it all over Olivia's sweater.

"She's pregnant as in having a baby." Olivia said grabbing a napkin out of the dispenser and wiping her cashmere sweater, "I think it's ruined."

"You must be mistaken!" Mac said.

"I'm not do you know how hard it is to get soda out of cashmere?" Olivia said scrubbing it hard with her napkin.

"I'm not talking about your sweater. I'm talking about Ruthie. You must be mistaken." Mac repeated, "It's impossible."

"I assure you it's not impossible because she is." Olivia replied giving up on her poor sweater, "You can't tell anyone I told you. Remember you promised."

"I won't."

"Good, because I only told you because you were so mad I cancelled are date." Olivia said, "I didn't want to but she needed me."

"I understand." Mac said now shaking his head. He was shocked. Utterly shocked.

"Ruthie's been waiting for you." Eric said when Freddie came in the back door.

"I know. I'm sorry. I had to go to confession. It wasn't about Ruthie or anything." Freddie said and then covered his mouth, "It was about me. All about me."

"Freddie?" Eric questioned, eyeing him. Eric was now very curious and a little worried but before he could interrogate Freddie, Ruthie walked into the kitchen and dragged him away. Eric was really worried, so he decided to pay a visit to priest Mcguffy. He grabbed his keys off the wall and headed to his car.

Eric walked back into the kitchen and sighed taking a seat at the kitchen table. Annie came in with a look on her face, he'd seen many times. It wasn't a good look.

"Eric Camden you went down and harassed poor Mcguffy." She said, "You tried to get him to tell you what Freddie had confessed."

"How did you…."

"He called, Eric. He asked me to talk with you." Annie said taking a seat next to her husband, "What were you thinking? The man is almost eighty and you went and tried to bully information out of him."

"I had a good reason." Eric replied.

"What possible reason could you have?" Annie said, "You wouldn't want someone trying to get confidential information out of you."

"Freddie told him something about Ruthie."

"I'm getting my keys." Annie said flying up.

Martin was sitting in silence across from his father, Mac had made him come with him to Glen Oak but once their, he had ditched him with his dad.

"Look we need to talk about Michelle and the wedding…" Beau began smiling.

"No we don't." Martin replied frowning.

"Martin…" Beau began but Martin's cell cut him off.

"Hey Mac." Martin said answering. After talking to Mac for a few minutes he hung up and turned back to his dad, "Mac needs me to met him he's got a flat. Can I borrow your car?"

"Sure." Beau said grabbing the keys off the counter and handing them to Martin.

"Thanks."

Martin found Mac five minutes from the Glen Oak Mall, after helping him replace the flat with the spare tire Martin sighed, "You're hopeless. You can't even change a tire."

"So?"

"So you need to learn how." Martin said with a laugh, "This is the fifth time I've changed your tire."

"Did you just realize that you laughed for the first time in weeks?" Mac said causing Martin's face to sober up.

"Damn I ruined it." Mac said.

"I don't have a right or a reason to smile and I defiantly shouldn't laugh." Martin said, "I popularly broke Ruthie's heart."

"You didn't break her heart!" Mac declared, "She's pregnant!"

"WHAT?!"

"Pregnant! Olivia told me. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone else but I'm sick of you beating yourself up." Mac said putting a hand on Martin's back, "At least now you can move on."


	15. Chapter Fifteen: The Confessions Part 2

**Chapter Fifteen**

**The Confessions Part Two**

Ruthie watched Freddie pull out of her driveway from her bedroom window. The doctor's appointment had gone great, she'd gotten to see the baby for the first time and it had been amazing. Freddie began to cry when the doctor pointed out the little head. Placing a hand on her little bump that no one seemed to notice because of all the baggy sweatshirts, she sighed and sat down on her bed, she wished that Martin could have been their. Anger quickly filled her as she grabbed a book off the nearby chair and threw it across the room imagining Martin standing their in the entrance to her room. Surprisingly he actually entered the room at the moment she threw the book, it collide with his head. Letting out a yelp Martin grabbed his head, the book may have only been a paperback but he'd taught Ruthie how to pitch and the girl had an arm on her. After the pain began to subside, he entered the room with a mission.

"How dare?!" he yelled at Ruthie, coming to stand before her. Tears slipped out of her eyes as she looked up at him.

"How dare I what?" she asked biting her lip to keep from wailing. She had to stand up and walk away from Martin; she couldn't be this close to him.

"How dare you get mad at me for Jenny?!" Martin yelled, "I wasn't even doing anything with her, she jumped on me. And you….you…can't forgive me when the whole time even during that kiss, you knew you were pregnant."

"I didn't know!" Ruthie yelled back the tears now falling with a mind of their own. She turned to walk away but Martin grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"At least tell me who the father is." he said with a snarl.

"Look in a mirror, it's you!" She said. The secret she'd been carrying for months, the secret she'd hidden from him out of fear of rejection seemed to come out so easily. The words she said made it all come back that night quickly filled her.

"_What's wrong with me?" Martin asked pulling off his boxers_

"_Nothing!" Ruthie said eyeing him, "Absolutely nothing." _

"_Nothing at all?" Martin asked smiling as he climbed onto the bed and leaned into her._

"_Nothing." Ruthie replied pulling him all the way down on top of her, she began to pull off his boxers as he began to mess with her bra strap. He wanted it off but the damn thing seemed content on staying. Once again fed up with Martin being unable to undress her, Ruthie did it herself._

"_You've never done this before have you?" she asked, the fact that he couldn't undress her had given it away. _

"_It's not like you have." Martin replied and then a look of worry filled his face, "Have you?"_

"_No." Ruthie said slipping out of her lacy panties and lying before him unclothed and bare as she was when she was born, "I think I was waiting."_

"_For what?" Martin asked gently pushing the hair behind her ear. _

"_For you." she said not knowing it until that moment. She never could have been with Todd. She was in love with Martin. She could feel that he was as ready as she was. For the first time in her life she felt that everything was, where it was suppose to be or almost. She pushed Martin off of her and climbed on top of him. As always she had to be in control and the grin on Martin's face proved that he didn't mind one bit. She leaned forward on her hands and felt him enter her it was a feeling she knew she'd never forget. It was mixed with a pain caused from the newness of it all and with a wonderful feeling of fulfillment. She felt things words couldn't describe. She felt like she was flying, like she was free at last. Free from all the years that she'd been without him. Free to be here with him. It was everything being with him like this. She'd wanted this for so long and she wanted it to never end. They came at the same moment both screaming out their feelings of joy and wonder. _

_They just laid their in each other's arms and began to drift off to sleep. Ruthie wondered if it was always going to be this wonderful and in her heart she knew that anything with Martin was going to be wonderful because she loved him._

"_I love you." she whispered, not knowing if he heard her she turned over and went to sleep as well.. What she didn't know was that Martin had heard every word and had said the same three words in his head millions of times. Three words he should have said. Three words that might have changed the outcome of the next day._

"I love you." She said, the words she should have said louder that night, the words she should have woken him with, the words she prayed that she would be able to repeat to him many times in the future.

"What?" Martin asked standing dead still.

"I love you." she repeated with tears falling down her cheeks, "Even if you walk out that door right now and leave me I don't care, I still need to say it. Even if you're lying about Jenny, I still need to say it I love you, Martin. I always have and I think I always will. I can't hide it anymore. I'm not that little girl you met in the kitchen all those years before. And yes I'm pregnant. I was at that party you were at."

"You mean it wasn't a dream!" Martin said standing their.

"You thought you'd dreamed it?" Ruthie asked partly laughing partly crying.

"I've dreamed of you so much that reality seemed to blur." he said walking towards her he pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately. Then he pulled back a bit to speak words that he'd need to say for so long.

"Don't you see I love you, too. Ever since I saw you, even though it was popularly wrong because you were so young, I longed for you. I've longed to hold you and all these years have just killed me. Watching all those other guys and then those moments are hands accidentally touched, those moments I thought I'd die with the longing to hold you." Martin said, causing tears to fall down her cheeks. Martin wiped them away with his thumb and then said, "Wait, you're pregnant."

"Yeah, I'm having a baby." Ruthie said waiting for his reaction.

"Ruthie's having a baby." Sam said in a shocked voice to David, "That means were going to be uncles again."

"I like being an uncle." David said, "Its fun."

"Yeah." Sam agreed, "But Ruthie will have to move just like Lucy right?"

"Then we better not let Mom and Dad find out, they're the ones that sent Lucy and Kevin away." David said.

"How did you find out?" Ruthie asked, they'd been sitting on her bed beside each other in silence for about twenty minutes neither of them talking until now.

"Mac told me." Martin said, he was still in shock about the news that Ruthie was pregnant and he was the reason.

"Mac?" Ruthie questioned, "How did Mac find out?"

"Olivia!?" Ruthie said answering her own question at the same moment as Martin answered.

"I'm going to kill her!" Ruthie said getting up pacing the room, "I mean I expected this from Freddie, but Olivia has never broken my confidence."

"Ruthie?" Martin said trying to get her attention.

"What? I'm mad." She said throwing up her arms, "She's supposed to be my best friend."

"Ruthie?" Martin tried again.

"What?"

"We need to talk." Martin said.

"Yeah we do." Ruthie replied, "Martin I want the truth about Jenny. I'll believe you and forgive you but, I need the truth."

"Nothing happen." Martin said, "I just stupidly opened the door in my lucky boxer shorts. You know the ones. You caught me in them once. They have dice on them and poker chips…."

"Martin I know the boxers. Now please get to the point." Ruthie said putting her hands on her hips.

"Alright, so I opened the door and before I knew it she was silencing me with her fingers, ripping off her jacket, and jumping on me. She caught me completely off guard and by the time I was back on 'guard' you had already run out. I didn't want her in my lap. I swear I didn't want her in my lap." Martin told her.

"You swear?"

"I just said I swear." Martin said with a sigh, "Will you forgive me now?"

"No."

"No?" Martin questioned a little scared.

"No." Ruthie repeated.

"Why not?"

"Because I have nothing to forgive you for. You didn't do anything." she said with a wicked grin.

"Not funny." Martin said, "And when I said I need to talk to you I wasn't talking about Jenny."

"I know that." Ruthie said, "But I had to know that first."

"I understand." Martin said.

"Martin, I'm scared." she said at last commenting on the pregnancy, "I'm really terrified but I'm glad you're here at last."

"I would have been here before if you'd told me before." Martin said with a little bitterness.


	16. Chapter Sixteen: The Disappointment

**Chapter Sixteen**

**The Disappointment and Regret**

Ruthie watched once again from her window as this time Martin walked away instead of Freddie. She watched as he walked towards his dad's house. She knew when he'd said goodbye and that he'd be back to help her figure out what they were going to do about the baby 'together' that he had been upset. She hadn't expected him to not be upset about the fact that he was going to become a father but even though he'd told her that he'd loved her she felt that she was losing him all over again. It seemed that millions of emotions had filled them both and too many revelations had come out at the wrong time in the wrong moment.

Tears seemed to fill her eyes _again _she couldn't believe it. She seemed to have an endless amount of them lately and they seem to keep coming at the most inconvenient moments likes now. She could see the mini van pulling up and her mom and dad getting out. She had to get a hold of herself.

Annie followed Eric into the kitchen; they were both filled with disappointment at the fact that they could get nothing out of the old priest, Mcguffy. Taking a seat next to her husband with a deep breath Annie put her head in her hands.

"I'm really concerned." Eric said rubbing his own pounding head.

"Me too." she said sighing she got up and grabbed the Tylenol bottle off the self. She handed Eric two capsules and a glass of water.

"What could Ruthie have possible done?" Eric questioned throwing up his hands, "I mean she's….well…she's…"

"Ruthie!" Annie finished sitting back down beside her husband.

"Ruthie. Ruthie. Ruthie." Eric said sighing, "She kept us updated on everyone and everything in this house when she was little. When ever you need to find information out all you had to do was …"

"…go to Ruthie." Annie said finishing with a smile.

"If it was only that easy, if we only had to go and ask her what's going…." Eric began but stopped himself when he saw a look come over his wife, "What?"

"The boys!" Annie declared throwing her arms up with excitement, "They might know something."

Before Eric could say anything, Annie was dragging him up the stairs to find the boys in question. Annie was determined to find out what was going on and she would. She knew she would because she always did it was just a matter of time but as always she wanted to know this moment. While patients was a virtue and Annie had a lot of patients, when it came to her children she has none. It was the mother in her, always needing to protect and help.

Martin found himself sitting outside of his dad's house still in awe at all that had happened only an hour before. He'd actually held Ruthie in his arms, hell it had turned out that he'd done more with her then he'd thought and she was pregnant. Pregnant. He couldn't accept it yet. That he'd gotten her pregnant. He was so furious with himself and with her. How could she not tell him? How could she even attempt to keep this from him? Had she even planned to tell him at all?

He was so disappointed that she felt she couldn't tell him before now. So many emotions seemed to be eating him whole. He was angry, frighten, wounded, and filled with regret that he hadn't had the strength to tell her that he loved her before now. He just couldn't seem to wrap his mind around the idea that….that Ruthie was pregnant. It just seemed so surreal to him as if it was a dream but he knew that he wasn't going to wake up from this dream.

"Martin?" a soft voice said walking up next to him. It was Michelle, his father's future bride. She smiled and took a seat next to him on the porch steps.

"Hey." he grumbled.

"What's wrong?" she asked in a concerned voice.

"Nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing." she said and then placed a hand on Martin's hand. He quickly shook her off, "Martin, look I'm not trying to take your mom's place. Nobody could. I understand that."

"How would you understand that?" Martin asked flying up, he knew he was acting like an immature child but he'd just found out all this news and now she had the audacity to say she understood. He could have laughed.

"I understand." she said again standing up and turning to leave, "because I lost my mother too and I got stepmother, three to be exact."

"So, are you now going to go into this long tragic story about your life and how much were alike?" Martin asked sarcastically in a really shity voice. As soon as he said it felt bad but he just couldn't seem to help it, he was just so angry and hurt at the moment that he couldn't deal with someone else's problems.

"No actually I wasn't." She said opening the door but stopped and turned back, "All I'm saying is that if you need someone to talk to I'm here. And, Martin I love your dad and because I love your dad I know I'll love you. I just want to be your friend."

Annie and Eric spent an hour trying to pry information out of the boys with no luck at all. They seemed content on keeping all the secrets they knew to themselves.

"They were worse then Mcguffy." Eric said toppling over onto the bed next to his wife with a sigh, "I'm exhausted."

"Me too." Annie said agreeing.

"But we still don't know what Ruthie's hiding." Eric said with disappointment.

"But we will." Annie said, "I know we will."

Ruthie reached under her bed and pulled a box out that had been hidden under her bed for years now. It had almost been thrown away many times but yet here it remained. She placed the box in her lap and sighed as she pulled the lid off the old shoebox. She began to leaf through photos and little knick knacks that she'd collected each one involving Martin and her relationship with him. She let herself laugh at a picture of him doing something extremely stupid and she let herself smile as she picked up the ticket stub from a movie he'd taken her to after Vincent had broken up. She began to remember the wacky plan he'd gotten pulled into and smiled.

"I'm sorry, Martin." She said tracing his face in the photo with her finger, "I should have told you."

Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up


	17. Chapter Seventeen: The Gift

Chapter Seventeen

**Chapter Seventeen**

**The Gift**

"I'm sorry." Olivia said for the millionth time to Ruthie, "He promised me he wouldn't tell."

"And you promised me." Ruthie said closing her locker door, "Look I'm in a situation where I need you. So I'm not going to stay mad at you. I can't."

"Thank you. Don't worry I'll never tell Mac anything again. As a matter of fact I'm not talking to him." she said slamming her locker shut.

"Trouble in paradise?" Freddie asked walking up, "I heard loverboy's name."

"There's no trouble because there is no paradise." Olivia said putting the lock on her locker and snapping it shut.

"You do realize that you just put on your lip gloss and closed your locker?"

"Your point, Freddie?" she asked eyeing him.

"Your hair color is seeping in." he said, "Maybe you should start dying it brown instead of blonde."

"I don't dye my hair!" Olivia said, "A professional stylist does and it was originally blonde when I was younger."

"Yeah. Yeah." Freddie said rolling his eyes, "And I was originally a red head."

Olivia huffed and turned and walked away leaving Ruthie in a fit of laughter with Freddie by her side.

"She put on her lip gloss and didn't even get her book." Freddie eventually commented.

"She does that all the time." Ruthie replied, "and some poor guy loans her his and gets completely lost."

"She always leaves a poor _un-expecting_ guy lost." Freddie replied with a sigh, "I pity the man that marries her."

"Freddie!?" Ruthie said with a laugh, "You don't mean that?"

"Oh I do and before I forget, my dear." Freddie said handing her a pretty heavy gift bag with tissue paper.

"What's this for?" Ruthie asked as the bell rang.

"Open it later at lunch." he said. Ruthie smiled and put the bag into her locker and head to math class _with _her book.

Martin sat beside Mac in his little apartment; they were both late for class but neither cared. They both had their own problems. _Love_ problems.

"It's mind boggling." Mac said.

"What that Ruthie's pregnant?" Martin asked, "Or that I had sex with her and thought it was a dream? Or how about that I, Martin Brewer, I'm going to be a dad?"

"Well that is all mind boggling but I was talking about that Olivia broke up with me."

"Were you two even a couple?" Martin asked, "You went on what one date?"

"Two." Mac replied with a sigh, "I screwed up. Big time."

"You?" Martin asked, "Have you even been listening to me."

"Yeah, yeah, you screwed up too but at least you were intoxicated." Mac said putting his feet on Martin's coffee table.

"Do you even know what that means?" Martin asked. Mac rarely used big words and when he did he rarely knew the meaning, it was surprising he'd gotten into college at all.

"Yeah drunk as a skunk!" Mac replied, "I do know some stuff."

"I wasn't that drunk." Martin said opening up a can of coke and taking a sip.

"Then why did you think it was a dream?"

"I'm not answering that." Martin replied and then said, "I have to call her."

"Yeah you do!"

"I know that."

"Me too."

"We have to talk."

"About?"

"What?"

"What?"

"What are you talking about Mac?"

"I have no clue. I'm lost." Mac said shrugging his shoulders.

"I can't believe you told Ruthie's secret!" Freddie said pointing his finger at Olivia, "Shame on you and Ruthie shame on you for not telling me she told before now."

"This was the first opportunity I had." Ruthie said taking a bite of her Mac N' Cheese.

"I can't believe your eating that." Olivia said, "Cafeteria food is disgusting."

"We could have gone off campus for lunch but I can't trust you, REMEMBER?" Ruthie said refer to all the times Olivia had made them late for class.

"I'm sorry but the five star restaurants aren't near here." Olivia said with sigh as she began to pick through the sandwich her chief had made her.

"Why are you even in a public school?" Freddie asked.

"My mother thinks I need to socials with normal people." Olivia said.

"Were real normal!?" Freddie said with a laugh, "She's pregnant and I'm gay. Then again there are a lot of gays and a lot of teen pregnancy, so were not so abnormal."

"Freddie! Quiet!?" Ruthie said gesturing with her hands.

"Sorry." he said with a guilt filled face, "Open your gift."

"Oh." Ruthie said taking the bag from under the table and opening it with a smile. It contained a pile of nice new books titled _What to Expect When Your Expecting_, _Pregnancy For Dummies_, _The Twelve Gifts of Birth_, _The Official Lamaze Guide_,_The Pregnancy Book__Easing Labor Pain__Laughter & Tears: The Emotional Life of a New Mother_,_Childbirth Choices Today_, and_The Nursing Mother's Companion_.  
"I got copies for myself." he said with joy.

"FREDDIE!!" Ruthie said slipping the books back into the bag and looking around to see if anyone saw.

"What?"

"And I thought I'd done something bad by telling Mac." Olivia said, "Nice going Freddie and you're not having a baby. She is and Martin is. Martin needs the books not you."

"I am too having a baby by association." he said shaking his head.

"Association my ass." Olivia said, "She's going to send you to china for this one."

"No she's not it was a nice gift."

"A gift you should have given me after I've told my parents and not in the middle of gossip central. Anyone could have seen them if I hadn't put them back in time." Ruthie said, "I love you two, but really stop interfering."

"How are we interfering?" Olivia asked with a smile.

"I can't believe you have to even ask." Ruthie said getting up and heading into the bathroom. Ruthie's cell beeped it was a text from Martin asking her to meet him tonight for dinner. Sighing she texts him back. They were going to meet tonight outside of the Dairy Shack.


	18. Chapter Eighteen: The Hang Up and The

Chapter Eighteen

**Chapter Eighteen**

**The hang up and The Bump**

Ruthie sat outside of Dairy Shack waiting with Freddie for Martin to show up. Freddie had given her a ride their but instead of just dropping her off he insisted on waiting with her until Martin showed up. After awhile Freddie began to bored with a sigh he asked Ruthie to hand him a bag that sat by her feet. He pulled out a book and began to read, Ruthie took a peek at what he was reading to find that the title was _The Birth Partner_.

"What are you reading?" she asked eyeing her crazy friend.

"The most comprehensive guide to supporting a laboring woman available, This work is designed to be used before and during delivery, including quick reference guides for the on the spot coaching. It's by Penny Simkin." he said reading the biography off the back of his book.

"Freddie have you lost it?" Ruthie asked as Martin pulled up with a roll of her eyes she got out and walked over to Martin's Hummer.

"What's wrong?" Martin asked.

"Nothing, just my crazy friend is reading a book about being my birthing coach or something like that. He's lost it! Everyone has. Yeah I'm having a baby and that's suppose to be joyous but come on I'm seventeen must my friends be this enthusiastic. They've lost it! Lost it!" Ruthie said.

"I haven't." Martin said getting out, "Trust me I'm still pretty shocked."

"You and me both." Ruthie said, "Look Martin we need to talk."

"That's why I'm here," he said, "to talk."

"Well you didn't pick a very private place." Ruthie said, "Can we go somewhere else, please?"

"Sure, Where?"

"I don't care. Anywhere." Ruthie said walking around to the other side of the Hummer and getting in the passengers seat.

"I'm getting so nervous, Eric." Annie said as she pulled the rump roast out of the oven with a worried sigh.

"You and me both." Eric said, "Maybe we should try the boy's again?"

"I already have been and still no luck." Annie said.

"Do you think she told Matt what's wrong; I mean they've always had a ton of secrets." Eric said causing Annie to reach for the phone and quickly dial her eldest son's number.

"Hey you've reached Matt and Sarah Camden please leave a message after the beep." the answering machine said after several rings.

"Hey Matt this is mom please call me…" Annie began when the phone quickly picked up.

"Hey Mom." Matt said.

"Matt has Ruthie called you lately?" Annie asked.

"No, why?" Matt asked but his mother had already hung up.

"So?" Eric asked.

"Nope, she hasn't called him." Annie said and began to tap her fingernails on the counter.

"What about Sarah?"

"Good idea." Annie said and hit redial.

"Why did you hang up on me?" Matt asked.

"Sorry." Annie said, "Can I talk to Sarah."

"Sure." Matt said handing the phone to his wife.

"Hello." Sarah said in her soft voice.

"Hey Sarah its Annie, I was wondering if Ruthie called?" Annie asked crossing her fingers.

"Sorry no." Sarah said causing Annie to hang up once more.

"Mary?" Eric suggested.

"Mary?" Annie asked when the phone picked up.

"Nope it's Carlos, Mom." Carlos said in his sexy Porto Rican accent.

"Damn." Annie said and hung up on him.

"You just did it again." Eric said, "You hung up on him."

"I'm crazy." Annie said and hit redial.

"Mom?" Carlos asked answering, "Did we get disconnected?"

"No, I was wondering if Mary was their?" Annie said referring to her daughter who had just recently gotten back together with her husband.

"No she's interviewing for a new teaching job." Carlos said and once again Annie hung up.

"Annie you did it again." Eric said eyeing his nutty wife.

"Crazy!" Annie said and hit redial once again, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok." Carlos said even though he was a little worried about his mother-in-law she wasn't acting herself.

"Can you have Mary call me when she gets back?"

"Sure Mom." he said.

"Thanks. Love you. Bye." Annie said, hung up, and began to tap her nails again, "What about the Colonel or Ruth?"

"I already called they haven't heard from her." Eric said.

"I've got it!" Annie said and threw up her hands, "Simon!"

Simon was sitting at his laptop biting his lip and trying to will his mind into coming up with an award winning screenplay idea but so far nothing. The phone rang and he was happy for the excuse to take a break from his work. He ran over to the phone to find the phone charger empty. He began to run around his apartment looking through his dirty clothes hamper and under the bed. It ended up being a good thing because the answering machine picked up.

"Simon its mom, Please call me back I'm really worried about Ruthie and I was wondering if you've talked to her lately. Call me bye." he heard his mom say and he knew that if she'd called him she'd called the others too meaning he needed to find the phone and call Ruthie and warn her now. He hit the phone finder button and followed the beep after about ten minutes he found the phone in the refrigerator, he couldn't figure out how it got their though but that's where it was. He quickly dialed Ruthie's cell.

"Wow this feels nice." he said to himself, "I should keep the phone in the fridge always it cools off your face."

Ruthie sat beside Martin they were parked in the Glen Oak public park parking lot, when her cell began to ring without looking she turned it off and turned to Martin. They looked at each other for all of one second before he was pulling her across the seat and into his arms.

"Oh god." Martin said as he trailed kisses along her face, "this is madness."

"Yeah, but _wonderful_ madness," Ruthie said sliding over more until she was sitting in Martin's lap. She quickly began to unbutton his shirt and slip her hands inside to touch the span of his chest. She slipped her arms around him and pulled him even closer if that was possible. They were sitting in an awkward position but it didn't seem to matter as long as they were in each others arms.

Martin pushed Ruthie forward a bit still kissing his way down her neck. He pulled off her sweatshirt effortless, if she hadn't been so caught up in the moment she would have commented on how much better he'd gotten on undressing her, she hadn't had to do it herself this time. When Martin pulled away from her mouth she let out a protest but allowed him to help her out of the tee she'd been wearing under her sweatshirt. Martin let out a little gasp when he saw that she now had a little but still visible bump. It seemed as if time stop for a moment and they were both unable to move.

Martin's eyes seemed glued to her abdomen and the place that was carrying his child. Had been carrying his child for four months now. _His_ child. _Her_ child. _Their_ child. He lifted up his hand but pulled it back before touching her stomach. Ruthie looked down and pulled his hand to her abdomen and let him feel where their child was.

"Was that?" Martin asked when he felt something move.

"Yeah a kick." Ruthie said, "It's been happening a lot."

"A kick." Martin said dumbfounded.

"Yeah." Ruthie said grabbing her tee and pulling it back on. She slid from Martin's lap and over to the passenger's seat, "Can you take me home."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing I just need to go home." Ruthie said, "I think it's time."

"Time for what?" Martin asked.

"Time to tell my parents." Ruthie said and turned to look out the window as Martin pulled out of the parking lot.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Martin asked after awhile.

"Yeah, I'm positive." Ruthie said tears began to slip down her cheeks she turned more towards the window so he couldn't see them. It was time. Finally time to let down the most important people in her life. It was time to break their hearts and her heart. She wiped away a tear with her finger as they pulled up in her driveway.


	19. Chapter Nineteen: The Truth and The Tear

Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen**

**The Truth and The Tears**

Martin quickly jumped out of the front seat and opened the door for Ruthie. She sat their in still for a few moments looking straight ahead and then turned to Martin. He took one look at her and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's going to be ok." he said rubbing up and down her back soothingly.

"No it's not." Ruthie said, "It's not going to be ok. Don't you get it, they'll never look at me the same. Their never going to treat me the same. I'm going to lose one of the most important things that I didn't even know was important until now."

"What?" Martin asked pulling away from her and wiping her tear streaked cheeks with the back of his finger.

"Their respect." Ruthie said letting the tears stream freely now.

"Ruthie and Martin are outside." Annie said looking out the window.

"I know what's going on now!" Eric said with smug look, "Their dating."

"She's crying." Annie said, "Eric I'm really worried now."

"Maybe their breaking up?" Eric said walking over.

"Nope his comforting her." Annie remarked, "Quick there coming look like your doing something."

"What should I be doing?"

"I don't know." Annie said as the back door opened up. Eric quickly pulled Annie into a passionate kiss.

"What are you doing?" Annie said smacking him away with a kitchen towel.

"You told me to be doing something." Eric whispered as Ruthie and Martin entered the kitchen.

"I have something to tell you." Ruthie said taking a deep breath and stepping forward.

"No we have something to tell you." Martin said coming to stand beside her.

"Mom…Dad…"Ruthie began.

"What is it Ruthie?" Annie asked coming towards her youngest daughter.

"Um…." Ruthie began and took a deep breath and tried to muster up some courage.

"Whatever it is you can tell us." Eric said.

"Do you want me to tell them?" Martin asked her.

"No…I will." Ruthie said, "Mom…Dad….I'm…going to…."

"Going to what?" Annie asked.

"Going to…have a baby." Ruthie said causing tears to slip down her cheek. Martin reached over and took her hand in his.

"What?" Annie and Eric asked unison.

"I'm pregnant." Ruthie said biting her lip and trying to keep from turning and running away, "I'm sorry; I know I've let you down."

"Pregnant?" Annie said and turned to Eric.

"Mom? Dad? I'm sorry, so sorry." Ruthie said now really crying, she turned and headed up the stairs and into her bedroom before she broke completely down. Ruthie closed the door and sat down on her bed. She turned over onto the bed and laid her head down on her pillow and cried the tears slipping out on the pillow.

She heard the door squeak open but she didn't move she kept her face turned away from who ever it was. She felt the bed indent as someone sat down beside her on the bed.

"Ruthie?" She heard Martin say, he pushed the hair out of her face and kissed the back of her head, "Sh sh sh, it's going to be ok."

"No it's not!" Ruthie yelled turning over to face him, "It's not!"

"Yes it is."

"No it's not." Ruthie repeated, "They hate me I know they do."

"No they don't." Martin said and tried to pull her into his arms only to be pushed away.

"I want to be alone." Ruthie said, "Just go."

"I'm not leaving you this way."

"GET OUT!?" Ruthie Screamed.

"YOU WANT TO SCREAM, I'LL SCREAM! I'M NOT LEAVING!" Martin screamed back.

"YES YOU ARE!"

"NO I'M NOT!" Martin repeated pulling her into his arms and kissing her. Ruthie began to push him away but soon she melted like butter and Martin began to push her down onto her bed.

"I wasn't expecting this." Annie said taking deep breaths, "I don't understand how this could happen?"

"I know." Eric said, "She's are…"

"…Baby girl!" Annie said beginning to cry. Eric quickly pulled her into his arms to soothe her.

"That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger."

"Stop!" Annie said pushing him away, "Are baby's pregnant Eric. She's a baby having a baby. Don't you get it?"

"I get it."

"No, I don't think you do." Annie said, "I can hear it in your voice you're trying to look at this as Reverend Eric Camden not as her father."

"I am not."

"Yes you are. Eric this isn't a little thing this is a huge thing. Maybe even the biggest thing we've ever had to deal with. And I'm not sure were capable of handling this alone." Annie said, "I think we need some help from a physiatrist or Reverend Hamilton or even old Mcguffy."

"We can handle this," Eric said, "but if it'll make you feel better we can call one of them."

"Do you hear yourself Eric?" Annie said throwing her arms up into the air, "Your acting like it's nothing; our seventeen year old daughter is pregnant."

"I'm acting like it's nothing so I don't scream!" Eric said, "One of us has to stay calm."

"Oh my god." Annie said, "I can't believe this. It's a dream it's not real. I'm going to wake up and it's all going to be a joke."

"I'm afraid it's not a joke," Eric said taking his wife by the shoulders and giving her a hug, "and sadly we're not going to wake up."

"We have to stop." Ruthie said finally getting her wits about her she pushed Martin off.

"Why do we have to stop?"

"What do you mean why?" Ruthie asked eyeing him.

"Well you're already…" Martin began but was cut of by a slap across the face, "Get out."

"Fine." Martin said grabbing his coat he left her alone. Ruthie sat in silence. She'd never slapped anyone in her entire life but Martin had made her feel cheap. He'd made her feel like she was a whore.

"Why?" She screamed, "Why is this happening to me?"

Ruthie sat and waited for her answer but it didn't come because the truth was that there was no reason why, it had just happened. She was pregnant and at the moment all alone.


	20. Chapter Twenty: The Song

Chapter Twenty

**Chapter Twenty**

**The Song**

Martin sat outside the Camden house. He hadn't meant that the way it had sounded and he felt like a complete idiot. His cheek still stung from her slap. He was going to have to start wearing protective gear. She was hitting him a lot lately with a book or her hand. She was an emotional rollercoaster, he didn't know that much about pregnancy but he assumed that it was because of that because before the pregnancy she never hit.

Ruthie grabbed her headphones off the shelf and put them on. She need to escape and music was the only thing that she could think of but for some reason the song she turned on seemed to relate to the way she was feeling. She began to talk with the song.

**The smell of your skin lingers on me now**

"True I can still feel him."

**  
You're probably on your flight back to your home town**

"Yep he's popularly on his way back to his dinky apartment!"

**  
I need some shelter of my own protection baby**

"I do!"

**  
To be with myself and Center, Clarity  
Peace, Serenity**

"I wish!"****

I hope you know, I hope you know  
That this has nothing to do with you

"I hope Martin knows that."

**  
It's personal, myself and I**

"It is!"

**  
We've got some straightening out to do**

"Yeah we do!"

**  
And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket**

"I already do miss you!"

**  
But I've got to get a move on with my life**

"I have to."

**  
It's time to be a big girl now**

"I guess so!"

**  
And big girls don't cry  
Don't cry  
Don't cry  
Don't cry**

"Yeah they do!"****

The path that I'm walking  
I must go alone

"For now."

**  
I must take the baby steps 'til I'm full grown, full grown**

"I'm over grown!"she placed a hand on her abdomen.

**  
Fairytales don't always have a happy ending, do they?  
And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay  
**

That was it; Ruthie threw her ipod across the room and hit Martin again in the stomach this time.

"Again I need protective gear." Martin said under his breath.

"What did you say?" Ruthie asked.

"Nothing."

"I thought you'd left." Ruthie said and began to pout.

"I had but I came back." he said.

"Why?"

"To fix something." he said, "I can't leave you like this again. I'm sorry I'm so stupid and I keep saying the wrong things but I don't know what the right things to say are."

"And you think I do," Ruthie said walking over to stand before him. He was so tall and she was so short she had to tip her head up to see his face, "I don't!"

"I'm sorry." Martin said trying to resist the urge to pull her into his arms but he knew that was a bad idea.

"No I'm sorry." Ruthie said, "Sorry I smacked you and acted like a nut!"

"But a very cute nut." Martin said with a grin, "I have to go."

"I know." Ruthie said.

"Class tomorrow." he said and turned to leave again. Now Ruthie was feeling the complete opposite of before she felt like he didn't want her now. She was begging to feel like she was a fruitcake when he turned around and gave her a quick hug but it was a tense hug, there was still something unresolved, but he turned and left before they could fix it. Ruthie bent down and picked up her now broken ipod with a sigh.

Martin had passed Annie and Eric once before undetected but not this time they caught him as his hand touched the handle.

"Stay away from my daughter!" Annie roared at him.

"Annie!" he heard Reverend Camden say but he didn't turn around, "Martin I think it would be best if you didn't come around here for a few days, until the water breaks I'm mean cools."

He heard Annie take a deep breath and begin to sob. He opened the door now and ran for the safety of his car. He couldn't understand how Eric was staying so calm.


	21. Chapter TwentyOne: The Snack

Chapter Twenty-One

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**The Snack**

Ruthie awoke at about two in the morning. She was starving so she headed down to the kitchen to make herself some Mac n cheese. She found her mother sitting alone at the kitchen table twirling a tea bag in her mug. She looked just like Ruthie had wanted her not to. She looked heart broken and it was tearing Ruthie in two.

"Mom?" Ruthie said.

"Ruthie?" Annie said turning around, "Are you ok? Why are you up?"

"I'm hungry." Ruthie said and walked over to the pantry to pull out a blue box of Kraft macaroni and cheese.

"Here let me do that for you." Annie said, they could both feel the tension in the air but neither of them said a word about it. Annie walked back over to the pantry and grabbed a second box. She opened it up and took out the cheese pack and put the extra macaroni in the noodle jar. Then took the box Ruthie had gotten out and began to boil those noodles.

"I used to make it extra cheesy for you when you were little by using two packets of cheese." Annie said after awhile, "You were the only one who liked it that cheesy besides me."

"I know." Ruthie said smiling, "Mom we need to talk."

"Yeah we do." Annie said stirring in the noodles.

"Do you hate me?" Ruthie asked causing Annie to stop stirring and turn around to face her daughter.

"I could never hate you." Annie said, "The reason I'm so upset is because I love you and I know how hard this is going to be. I'm also a little upset that I'm just hearing about this now when you're….How far a long are you?"

"Four months." Ruthie said.

"Four?" Annie said, "How could I not notice?"

"Sweatshirts." Ruthie replied shrugging her shoulders as Annie put her food in front of her.

"Oh Ruthie," Annie said with a sigh, "How could this happen?"

"I don't know it just did." Ruthie said. Annie took a seat next to her daughter and they both had a midnight snack together.


	22. Chapter TwentyTwo: The Family

Chapter Twenty-Two

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**The Family**

The next morning Ruthie awoke starving once more. She trudged down the stairs hoping to find her father. They hadn't been able to talk, last night.

"Is dad still here?" Ruthie asked her mother as she entered the kitchen.

"You just missed him." Annie said placing a plate of bacon in front of Ruthie.

"Eww no." Ruthie said feeling a sudden wave of nausea, only moments before she'd been starving.

"I forgot." Annie said covering the plate so her daughter didn't have to inhale its scent. She never thought that she'd have to cover up food to hide the smell from her seventeen year old daughter so she didn't get morning sickness. The whole thing still sound as if it wasn't real but a joke, Annie thought to herself. Ruthie put a smile on her face trying to make light of the mood but she knew exactly what was running through her mother's mind. She felt something in her stomach and quickly placed her hand instinctively their. Annie walked over to her daughter and looked down at the bump that hadn't been visible yesterday but was very visible now.

"Kicking?" Annie asked looking down directly at the bump.

"Yeah, it's been happening a lot lately." Ruthie said, "It just comes out of nowhere."

"I remember it being like that for me too." Annie said.

"Ooh." Ruthie said feeling a kick and causing Annie to place a hand on her daughters growing abdomen and feel her grandchild move for the first time.

Sam and David stood at the top of the stairs listening and watching. Sam was the first one to start to cry and David soon followed. Annie and Ruthie heard them and quickly went to see what was going on.

"What's wrong?" Annie asked wiping David's cheek.

"You're going to kick Ruthie out!" Sam said.

"What makes you say that?" Annie asked shocked at Sam's proclamation.

"You sent Mary away when we were little, Matt left to be a doctor…." David began.

"…And Simon left…."

"...And then you made Lucy..."

"…And Kevin…"

"….And Savannah…"

"…And now Ruthie!" Sam finished, "I don't want her to leave."

"Me either!" David said as they both ran to there sister and hugged her.

"She's not leaving!" Annie said.

"You said that you weren't making…"

"…Lucy, Kevin, or Savannah leave…"

"…And they left!" David finished, they were both still holding onto Ruthie tightly.

"You two are squishing me!" Ruthie said pulling back a bit.

"We don't want you to leave." Sam and David said in unison.

"I'm not leaving." Ruthie said eyeing her mother, "Right?"

"Of course you're not leaving." Annie said rolling her eyes, "I need an aspirin!"

Ruthie dressed once again in a sweatshirt, wondering when everyone else was going to find out. She wondered how long she was going to be able to fit in the clothes she had. She was beginning to slowly outgrow them. Taking a breath she grabbed her messenger bag off the bed and headed down the stairs.

The kitchen door flew open and in walked Mary with Charlie on her hip and Carlos by her side.

"What are you doing here?" Ruthie asked stopping dead in her tracks.

"Ruthie!?" Charlie squealed with delight.

"We're here because were worried about mom and you." Mary said, "She was acting really weird and Carlos, Matt, Sarah, and I all had this weekend and today off. So here we are."

"Matt's here?" Ruthie questioned, getting more nervous as the time passed.

"Yeah." Mary said as the door opened behind her and Matt walked in dragging a suitcase.

"Sarah's having trouble getting out our other bag…." Matt began but stopped upon seeing his little sister. He began to point and make mumbling noises that made no sense.

"Oh my god!" Matt said gesturing with his hands, "Oh my god!"

"What?" Mary asked lost.

"Oh my god!" Matt repeated again, "Oh my god!"

"What?" Carlos asked.

"Oh my god!" Matt said once more, "Oh my god!"

"Can you tell us what's going on?" Mary asked eyeing her nutty brother. Matt began to point at his stomach and then back at Ruthie. He just couldn't form words.

"Stomach?" Mary asked.

"Ruthie's stomach?" Carlos asked. Matt began to rock his hand back in forth as if he was holding a baby.

"Rock a by baby?" Mary asked looking at him.

"What?" questioned Carlos, "I don't get it?!"

"Me either." Mary said as Sarah walked in.

"Oh my god," Sarah said, "Ruthie, You're pregnant!?"

"WHAT?!" Carlos and Mary screamed in unison.

"Surprise." Ruthie said, not knowing what else to say but trying to keep the mood light.


	23. Chapter TwentyThree: The Fight

Chapter Twenty-Three

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**The Fight**

Martin sat across from his dad in silence, neither of them speaking. Martin had just revealed that Ruthie was pregnant and he was the father. Beau stared at his son trying to comprehend what Martin had just told him.

"Dad?" Martin said breaking the silence at last.

"How could this happen?" Beau said, "I mean I know how it happened, but I don't know weather to be happy or not that it's Ruthie."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"I know she's in love with you and you're obviously in love with her. I knew eventually the two of you would end up together but I didn't think it would be like this." Beau said shaking his head.

Ruthie finally found herself alone in her room. Matt had been so upset about the whole thing that after he'd gotten in all, the luggage he'd gone out for a walk. Mary on the other hand hadn't left her alone, finally Annie had sent Mary on an errand and Lucy still didn't know. She didn't even want to know how Lucy would react then again with Lucy the reaction was _always_ a surprise.

Ruthie cell phone had been beeping all day finally she was able to check the messages but an incoming call came in. It was Todd. Biting her lip Ruthie debated on weather or not to answer the call. Todd had been leaving her hundreds of messages begging her to take him back; he just didn't know how to give up. Ruthie knew the only reason he wanted her back was because his acceptance letter had been a mistake. He was living in his parent's basement and there were no 'college' girls for him meaning he wanted his second choice back. Rolling her eyes she answered.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screamed into the phone and hung up on him. If he didn't stop calling soon, she was going to have to change her number. Sitting down on her bed Ruthie wondered how Todd would react to the fact that she was pregnant. She had to laugh a little at the thought of his face.

Ruthie laid down and went to sleep, she was so tired and all the stress was making it worse. Hours later the sound of yelling woke her up, flying up she ran down the stairs and out the front door to find Matt and Todd fighting.

"What are you doing?" Ruthie screamed at them.

"You got my little sister pregnant…you…you…little jerk." Matt was yelling as they rolled around in the dirt.

"I didn't!" Todd was yelling back, at that moment it hit Ruthie, she hadn't told Matt that it was Martin and she was in big trouble now.

"He didn't!" Ruthie said, "Martin did!"

"Martin?" Matt said shocked as he released Todd and turned to her.

"Yeah Martin, Matt! Ruthie said taking a deep breath she turned to look at Todd. His face said it all he was shocked and her secret was officially out because Todd couldn't keep a secret if his life depended on.

"You're a whore!" Todd said spitting and turning to leave, but he was caught off guard and unprepared for the punch Matt threw. He fell back and landed on his butt; humiliated Todd ran to his car and drove off.

"What did you ever see in that jerk?" Matt asked shaking his head.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Ruthie replied as they both walked up the porch steps together, "Oh, and Matt please don't beat-up Martin, then again I don't think you could, you're getting pretty old."

"I'm not that old!" Matt declared, "And while Martin may be athletic, I have to lift patients on a daily bases and it gives me quite a work-out. And just look what I did to jerk-face. I bet Martin couldn't catch him off guard like and have him running home as fast as he can."

"I was kidding." Ruthie said heading into the house with a smile. It felt good knowing that while Matt was mad, he was still protecting her meaning that there was chance that things would turn out ok in that aspect. There was a chance that Matt would forgive her and if Matt forgave her then so would the rest of her siblings.

Note: Adding Todd back in was a last minute decision….If I had known I was going to add him, I would have written about the phone calls and I promise I won't be adding any more last minute ideas. Except I might have a little bit more of Todd!

Another Note: Sorry it took me so long to get this up, I've been really busy. I'll try to be better about but I'm working part-time for a non-profit organization that feeds families in need and taking online college classes along with my reg. home schoolwork. I've been neglecting this, sleep, my friends, and my boyfriend. Again, I'll try do more updates.


	24. Chapter TwentyFour: The Rumors Are True

Chapter Twenty-Four

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**The Rumors Are True**

The next day at Kennty High School the rumors were flying. It seemed that the entire school had found out about Ruthie's pregnancy. Todd had gotten his revenge, but the irony of it all was that the entire student body thought that Todd was the father. Every person seemed to have their own opinion on the subject of Ruthie's pregnancy. They all seemed to be treating her differently.

A girl she'd talked to once last year came over to her and asked her if she needed help carrying her books or anything. In the cafeteria when Ruthie went to get a Dasani water out of the machine there were two girls blocking it and when she asked them to move nicely they completely ignored her. The school gossip, Rachael asked her if she was getting married. The football team called her crud names as they passed her in the halls. Even the teachers had somehow found out. Mrs. Better had been really tough on her and she obviously disapproved. Mr. Thomas on the other hand had been really nice. He'd even hinted that he would give her extra time for her book report if she needed it. The only ones who seemed to be treating her, the same were Freddie and Olivia and it was a close call. The final straw had been when the school's quarterback who was known for sleeping around, came up to her and said, "I should have gone for you when I had the chance."

Ruthie begged Freddie and Olivia to skip their last two classes with her. She needed to get away from it all.

"We're fugitives from the law." Freddie declared, "We're so bad!"

"You don't have a bad bone in your body." Olivia snorted as they pulled out of the schools parking lot.

"Where are we going?" Freddie asked ignoring Olivia's comment as usually.

"I don't know." Ruthie said, "My clothes are starting to not fit and I was thinking…"

"Shopping trip!" Freddie yelled before she could finish.

"Looking not buying!" Ruthie said, "When I completely can't fit into my clothes, then I'll buy maternity wear."

"You're no fun!" Olivia said turning onto the highway.

After browsing and trying on a ton of maternity clothes, Ruthie came to one conclusion. She was short.

"I'm not tall enough!" Ruthie said with a groan.

"You've said that each time." Olivia said leaning up against the dressing room doors.

"The store is running out of clothes!" Freddie declared from the chair he sat in.

"I'm giving up!" Ruthie said as she put her original jeans back on, "I'll just have to wear a potato sack or a pillow case when I get too big."

"Very funny." Olivia replied as Ruthie walked out.

"I've got it!" Freddie said.

"Got what?" Olivia asked curious.

"You'll see eventually." he replied with a secretive grin.

Lucy was organizing her desk when Bailey from her teen class walked in.

"Hey you're early," Lucy said, "Teen class doesn't start for another hour."

"I know," Bailey said, "but I have to talk to you."

"Take a seat." Lucy said gesturing towards a chair, "Now what do you want to talk to me about?"

"I can't believe you skipped class." Annie said making Ruthie a plate of macaroni salad.

"I just couldn't take it the whole school knows now." Ruthie replied taking a bite of her food, "I really do love macaroni."

"Wait!" Annie said bringing the conversation back to it's original subject, "Your whole school knows?"

"Yeah."

"You're not exaggerating?"

"No." Ruthie said.

"Oh No?!" Annie yelled, "Lucy doesn't…"

"Ruthie's pregnant?!" Lucy yelled as she angrily barged into the kitchen, "And no one told me!?"

Note: I'm going to try and pick a day soon and that will be when I update…as for now I'm just going to update when I can


	25. Chapter TwentyFive: The Lucy Factor

Chapter Twenty-Five

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**The Lucy Factor**

"How'd you found out?" Ruthie asked setting down her fork and turning to look at her sister who was turning bright red with anger.

"Mrs. Beaker's granddaughter, Bailey told me." Lucy replied.

"Bailey Beaker." Ruthie said with a laugh, "Now that's funny!"

"How can you laugh?!" Lucy screamed, "You're pregnant!"

"Pregnant people laugh." Ruthie said looking at her insane, crazy, nutty, wacko, off-the-wall, sister.

"Not teenage pregnant people or kids or whatever you are!?" Lucy said rambling as she yelled like a loony tune, "And why am I the last one to know?!"

"Last one to know what?" Matt asked walking in the back door.

"The last one to know that Ruthie's….THAT RUTHIE'S…..PREGNANT!?" Lucy screamed.

"I don't know." Mary said coming down the stairs, "We all know and Simon knows."

"Even the boys know!" Matt added.

"The twin's even know?!" Lucy yelled slamming her fist on the counter, causing her to become louder if that was even possible, "OWWWW!"

"Be careful," Annie said, "and calm down, Lucy."

"I'm calm. I'm very calm." Lucy said gritting her teeth.

"Yeah your very calm, Luce." Mary said rolling her eyes, "You're never calm."

"I'm calm now!" Lucy said smiling idiotically.

"Lucy?" Ruthie questioned, now very afraid.

"Ruthie?" Lucy said still smiling that smile that she always put on before she blew up.

"Breath." Annie said.

"BREATH!?" Lucy said screaming once again, "THAT'S A LABOR WORD! RUTHIE'S GOING TO NEED IT NOT ME!?"

"Yes she is." Matt said in a voice that was meant to calm Lucy but it had no affect on the insane woman.

"SHE'LL BE HAVING A BABY AND SCREAMING!?" Lucy said, "SHE'LL BE SEVENTEEN AND HAVING A BABY!? SHE'S HAVING A BABY AND NO ONE TOLD ME?!"

"Hello?" Eric said walking into the kitchen.

"Hey Dad." Mary said, "Lucy knows!"

"YEAH I DO, DAD!?" Lucy said and then her face changed, "DAD? DAD? DAD?"

"What?" Eric asked setting down his briefcase.

"WHO'S THE DAD?!" Lucy screamed, "PLEASE TELL ME IT'S NOT TODD?!"

"It's not Todd." Ruthie said.

"WHO?!"

"Martin." Ruthie said with a shrug.

"Martin?" Lucy questioned as she began to calm down.

"Mental patient." Mary said under breath.

"What did you say?" Lucy asked turning to look at her.

"Nothing…um…um….Mint Tatient…it's a coffee." Mary said, she lucked out because Lucy had already turned back to Ruthie and was burning holes into her sweatshirt with her eyes.

"Lucy? Luce?" Ruthie said trying to smile as best she could.

"How could you not tell ME?!" Lucy said and then she turned and charged out the door.

"That's scary!?" Carlos said coming down the stairs, "I was to scared to come down while she was here."

"Me too." Sarah said coming in from the living room, "She's crazzzy!"

"That was worse than I thought it was going to be." Ruthie said as she resumed eating, "It can't get any worse can it."

"She's pregnant, Kevin!" Lucy yelled at her poor husband. she'd been repeating the same sentence over and over again for about an hour she was begin to sound like a broken record player.

"I know." Kevin said, "I know."

"You know?" Lucy said with a laugh, "You know?"

"I know, Crazy Woman!" Kevin said turning and trying to get away from Lucy with no luck because she followed him straight up the stairs.

"Do you not care?" Lucy questioned him, "And why aren't you upset?"

"I have a plan." Kevin said.

"Are you gonna kill him? Hire a hit man? Bury him in the back yard?" Lucy asked leaning in closer to him.

"NO!?" Kevin said, "I'm gonna make him marry her and if you keep talking like that there gonna commit you."

"Who's gonna commit me?"

"I am!" Kevin said and smiled.

"Very funny." Lucy said with a frown.

Author Note: I'm going to start regularly updating this is story on Mondays. My other fics will soon have a day I will update on. Bare with me.


	26. Chapter TwentySix The Baby Shower Pt 1

Chapter Twenty-Six

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

**The Baby Shower Pt. 1**

A week had passed since Lucy had found out about her sister, Kevin still hadn't been able to talk to Martin, both Matt and Mary had taken two weeks off to spend sometime with Ruthie, and Annie had finally began to accept the fact that her daughter was really pregnant and was really having a baby. Lucy too had finally calmed down about being the last to know, but Eric on the hand was still acting so strange about the situation. He was still acting like it was someone else's daughter that was pregnant.

Annie had decided that they needed to through Ruthie a baby shower. She needed something to make her feel good and she was going to need a few things. The shower was just going to be the family of course and was going to be a surprise for Ruthie. Annie had been working all day on cooking making every recipe she knew that had macaroni in it. She'd made homemade macaroni and cheese, Macaroni casserole, Macaroni salad, and even a soup with macaroni. Macaroni seemed to be the only thing Ruthie would eat.

She'd sent each child and Eric out on an errand. Matt had gone to pick up a pizza for the rest of the family to eat, Mary was picking up her gift for Ruthie, Eric was picking up their gift and a few other things with the boys, Lucy was doing something with Kevin, and that left only Simon. Annie was worried about sending him on one of the most important errands but she had no choice he had been the only one left. She hoped he didn't screw it up.

Martin and Mac had been shopping for a gift for Ruthie at a little baby boutique that Michelle had recommended. They found themselves completely lost. They had no idea what to get.

"I wonder what this is?" Mac questioned picking up a foreign object and placing it on his head, "It makes a nice hat."

"You pervert!" An old woman said stabbing his toe with her walker, "Take that breast pump off your head!?"

"Sorry." Mac said taking it off, "I didn't know what it was."

"I'm sorry too for getting you with my walker." The woman said, "but you have no idea how many young mothers don't wash those for the first use and I hate for some innocent baby to get sick because you stuck it on your head."

"Where kind of lost," Martin said, "Where looking for a baby shower gift."

"Awww I love that now a days they have co-gender baby showers." she said, "In my day it never would have happened."

"He's the dad." Mac said pointing at Martin.

"You look young." she said.

"Oh he is and so is the mother she's only seventeen." Mac replied.

"And she's still getting a baby shower that's so nice." the woman said, "It never would have happened in my day. Then again most likely the baby would be given up."

"What's your name?" Martin asked trying to get the woman off the subject of her day.

"Betty Janson." she said with a smile.

"Can you help us?" Mac asked.

"Of course." Betty declared thumping her walker like she was on a mission, "We wouldn't want you sticking anything else on your head, Son. Now would we? Come on let's shop."

"Lead the way." Mac said and Martin groaned, not knowing how he'd gotten sucked into shopping with his insane friend and with a crazy old lady who didn't want Mac sticking stuff on his head.

"I'm back." Simon said walking into the kitchen with a ton of bags. Annie turned and took a deep breath upon eyeing the bags.

"Simon I told you to get some cute plates and napkins not the all this." Annie said throwing up her arms.

"Well they had these plates with little blocks and they had matching napkins, cups, a table cloth, a sign that you add the name too, and I got matching streamers and I had to get the game package. And then they had the balloons on sale so I had to get them.

"Balloons?" Annie questioned, "Where are they?"

"They didn't fit in my car and because there are no deliveries today we lucked out they'll be here in an hour." Simon said with a big grin, "This is so exciting!"

"I only needed plates and a package of napkins." Annie said with an annoyed look.

An hour later Simon had the living room completely decorated. Ruthie had seen all the stuff he'd been doing so when he went into the kitchen she quietly snuck out the front door. Olivia and Freddie arrived at the same time as the balloons. They were followed by the rest of the Camdens expect Kevin and Lucy.

"Where are Martin and Mac?" Annie asked.

"Mac's coming?" Olivia asked with a sigh.

"Yeah I am." Mac said coming in with a pile of packages.

"Are those all from you?" Eric asked.

"Of course not they're from Martin." Mac said setting them down and grabbing a small package off the top, "This is from me."

"Where's Martin?" Annie asked.

"Getting more gifts out of the car." Mac said.

"More?!" Olivia said shocked, "What'd he do buy the entire store."

"We met this old lady." Mac said if that explained everything.

"I can't find Ruthie." Matt said as Martin walked in, "She's not in her room."

"She went on a walk." Sam said.

"I'll go look for her." Martin said setting down another pile of stuff, "And Mac theirs more out their."

"More?!" everyone said shocked. About three minutes after Martin left there was a knock at the door.

"Mom I have something to tell you." Simon said but it was too late Annie had already opened the door.

This is the last chapter I'm uploading…from now on I will be uploading every Monday!


	27. Chapter TwentySeven The Baby Shower Pt 2

Chapter Twenty-Seven

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

**The Baby Shower Pt. 2**

"We're here!" Mrs. Beaker declared, she had a gaggle of church ladies behind her.

"Mrs. Beaker," Annie said forcing a smile, "Excuse me. Simon Kitchen?!"

Annie quickly dragged her son into the kitchen, she was absolutely furious as she asked, "What is Mrs. Beaker doing here? What are the rest of the church ladies doing here?"

"Well I went to get my gift for Ruthie and the baby. I wanted to get her something cool, considering were so close, so I went and bought one of those huge stuffed giraffes. I had enough money from my first screenplay. I know it wasn't a hit but I still made a little something. I hope the one I'm working on now does better. It was pretty expensive but…" Simon began as Matt entered the kitchen.

"How expensive?" Matt asked needing to know everything.

"It was thousand dollars but it's really cool." Simon said.

"You spent WHAT?!" Annie yelled.

"That must be one big stuffed animal." Matt said, "So where is it?"

"Well after I bought the giraffe I went to put him in my car and it wouldn't fit."

"What'd you do?" Matt asked on the edge of his seat.

"I have no idea how I managed to but I got in my car eventually by sticking the head through the sunroof."

"Well then where is it?" Matt asked.

"Stuck in my car, I couldn't get it out. So I parked around the corner so Ruthie wouldn't see it." Simon said with a sigh, "I'm going to need help to get it unstuck."

"Simon what does this have to do with Mrs. Beaker and the church ladies being here?" Annie asked getting inpatient.

"Well after I got the giraffe in the car and drove to the party store. You'd be surprised at how many people honked at me on the drive their."

"Simon the point?!" Annie ordered.

"Oh so I ran into Mrs. Beaked at the store and she kind of invited herself and the other church women."

"This was supposed to be a small party to make Ruthie feel better not to stress her out." Annie said throwing her arms up. "And on top of that we still can't _find_ Ruthie."

Martin found Ruthie a block and a half away from the Camden home she was sitting on the curb beside a tree.

"What are you doing here?" Martin asked her.

"My feet hurt." Ruthie replied, "I couldn't make it all the way to the park. It' another six blocks."

"I know." Martin said taking a seat next to her, "What I meant was what are you doing here? Why aren't you at home?"

"There throwing me a baby shower."

"I know." Martin said, "That's why I'm here."

Back at the Camden house, Annie was at the end of her rope with Mrs. Beaker. She kept making comments about Ruthie's situation, when the door bell rang. She was hoping it was Ruthie but it ended up being Mrs. Bink.

"I heard a bunch of crazy people crash Ruthie's baby shower." Mrs. Bink said causing tears to burst from Annie's eyes and stream down her cheeks.

"Ruthie's missing and if Mrs. Beaker makes one more comment?!" Annie said the tears still falling.

"It's worse than I thought." Bink said wrapping an arm around Annie. After calming her down a bit the two of them headed into the living room to hear Mrs. Beaker say, "Well this baby shower is so nice, especially for someone in Ruthie's situation, being an unwed seventeen year old that is."

"I was seventeen when I had my son!" Mrs. Bink said causing everyone to look at her.

"I was young to when I had my first daughter but then again I was married and I had graduated." Mrs. Beaker said and then turned to Annie, "We've run out of carrots. Annie, do you have some more in the kitchen that I can cut up for you?"

"No I'll do it." Annie said picking up the tray and heading into the kitchen.

"Of course I was married!" Annie mocked pulling out the cutting board, "And I'd graduated."

"You need any help?" Mrs. Bink asked walking in.

"No thanks." Annie said, "And I didn't know you had a son."

"I don't!" Mrs. Bink said with a laugh, "I just said that to shut up Beaker but it didn't work."

"No it didn't."

Ruthie and Martin found themselves in Martin's old bedroom at his dad's house. They had planned to talk in privacy only to find that now there clothes lay scattered around the room and they were in each others arms lying on his bed with the sheets tangled around them. Ruthie was already completely unclothed and Martin only had his boxer shorts left. He found himself pulling Ruthie closer to him if that was even possible. He began to kiss her passionately. Their lips intertwined in a sensual dance. They were pulling themselves closer to what they both wanted, what they both needed so desperately. And as quickly as it began it ended as Martin pulled back a bit.

"We can't." he said, "We'll hurt the baby."

Ruthie had been an emotional roller coaster, Martin should have seen it coming but he didn't. Angered she pushed him off her causing him to land full force on the bedroom floor. At that very moment Beau Brewer had come home and he heard the bang. It caused him to run straight up the stairs to find his son sitting on the floor in a daze and Ruthie picking up her clothes with a sheet wrapped around her.

"What's going on?" Beau yelled.

"Nothing now!" Ruthie said beyond the point of embarrassment that she didn't care anymore.

"Do the kids want a snack?" Michelle said calling from the stairs. Beau quickly made a one eighty degree turn and went to talk to his fiancé.

"You knew they were here?"

"Yeah they went upstairs to talk." Michelle said.

"What did you do when you were a teenager alone in a room?"

"Oh my….oh my you didn't….oh you did…you walked in on…Oh my!?" Michelle said shaking her head.

"I need some air." Beau said heading back out the front door.

**Note:**** I know those Giraffe's cost more than that but I couldn't have Simon paying that much :) **


	28. Chapter TwentyEight: The Giraffe

Chapter Twenty-Eight

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

**The Giraffe **

After Beau Brewer got some air he headed back into his house to find his son and fiancé in the kitchen. Michelle was holding a nice tender cut steak against Martin's bruised head.

"What are you doing?" Beau asked, saying under his breath, "We're not in the fifties."

"Helping my step-son," Michelle said not hearing the last part, "I saw this on TV. It's supposed to help."

"That was my dinner." Beau said disappointed at the thought of not getting his juicy steak because it was rubbing up against his son's head. Then again it's popularly not that good anyways he thought to himself….who was he kidding that was a nice cut of meat, "My poor dinner."

"Will order take-out or I can make something."

"TAKE-OUT!?" Beau quickly said, her cooking kinda scared him. He was very worried that she'd burn the house down by accident or accidental poison him.

"Ok." Michelle said smiling sweetly she really loved that man.

"Um…honey…um…" Beau began, "That's not really….safe."

"What's not?"

"Putting a steak on a bruise they found that out awhile ago." he said trying to sound nice and not rude.

"Oh…I told I was new at this." Michelle said taking it off, "Got it! No teenagers alone in bedrooms and no steaks on bruises."

"My head." Martin moaned as his father handed him a Ziploc baggie filled with ice.

"Well if you ask me they should send her away and give the baby up." Beaker whispered to Mrs. Hillbuttoms, but she didn't say it quiet enough because Eric heard it. It was the _last_ straw.

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!?" He screamed, having a break down. He was finally letting it all set in.

"I'm so sorry." Beaker said collecting the ladies and heading out the door.

"We're just going to go." Olivia said pulling Freddie out the door.

"And I'll go look for Martin." Mac added as he followed them out the door.

"My hero!" Annie said wrapping her arms around her shaking husband.

"Ruthie's pregnant."

"Yes she is." Annie said.

"My little girl is pregnant." Eric said, "Oh I'm an awful father."

"No your not." Annie said leading him to the sofa.

"How could this happen? Why did this happen?"

"Eric I'm going to tell you something you've told me many times over the years," Annie said, "That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger. And it's true. Look at everything we've been through and still were here alive and happy. We're going to make it through this."

"How?"

"The way we always do together." Annie said kissing his cheek. The twins, Simon, Lucy, Kevin, Mary, Carlos, Sarah, and Matt stood in the kitchen listening.

"We're going to get through this." Matt said.

"…Together." Everyone said in unison causing Annie and Eric to turn and find them all their standing ready to support their sister.

"And can we together get the giraffe out of my car." Simon added causing everyone to laugh for the first time in awhile.

"I have to ask," Lucy said turning to him, "Why did you buy a giraffe?"

"Because they were out of monkeys."

"You're nuts."

"Look who's talking." Simon said as the back door opened and Ruthie walked in.

"Ruthie where have you been?" Annie asked.

"With Martin." Ruthie replied taking a seat down on the sofa next to her dad, "I see the baby shower is finally over."

"Yeah well it wasn't as we planned it." Annie said as everyone turned to eye Simon the Beaker bringer, "It was just suppose to be family!"

"But you did get a lot of gifts and your going to need them…babies cost a LOT!?" Simon said, "Or so I'm told."

"Here." Mary said grabbing a bag off the side table and handing it to Ruthie.

"This is from all of us." Matt said.

"Thank you." Ruthie said pulling the tissue paper out. It was wrapped around a beautiful baby blanket that seemed familiar.

"It has the pieces of your baby blanket that you gave Sam and David along with my baby blanket, Matt's baby blanket, Simon's baby blanket, and Lucy's baby blanket." Mary said with a smile.

"It's beautiful." Ruthie said rubbing her hand across the fabric that had been stitched together to create a masterpiece, "How did you make it so quickly?"

"After I found out and calmed down, we all came up with the idea. We knew their wasn't enough time to get mom to make it so we found a women that takes pieces of important fabric and makes memory blankets." Lucy said smiling.

"And this is from your father and me." Annie said handing Ruthie a wrapped box. Ruthie smiled as she ripped it open to find a beautiful baby book.

"I got it a few days after I found out." Annie said opening the book to reveal that the book begin with baby pictures of Grandma Jenny, Annie, and Ruthie. The rest of the book was filled with a space to be filled by the photos of her baby.

"And I got you something else too." Simon said, "It's stuck in my car."

"Stuck in your car?" Ruthie asked confused.

"Matt, Dad, Kevin, Carlos, Mary, Lucy, Mom, Sarah, Can you help me get it out?" Simon asked.

"Why can't I help?" Ruthie questioned.

"I want to put a bow on it and wrap it up." Simon said causing Ruthie to roll her eyes.

"Whoa!" Sarah said shocked, "How did you managed to do that? How did you get in the car?"

"You're never going to be able to wrap that." Matt said.

"It's too uneven to wrap." Mary added.

"And it's huge!?" Lucy squealed.

"I can't believe you bought it." Annie said.

"Where is she going to put it?" questioned Kevin.

"It might scare the baby." Mary said.

"How?" Simon asked.

"Well it's huge as Lucy established and well in the dark it might look scary to a little baby." Mary summarized.

"That'd scare me." Carlos said causing everyone to look at him, "What it would?! I don't like giraffes."

"Who doesn't like giraffes?" Matt asked.

"I don't want to talk about." Carlos said as Mary wrapped an arm around him.

"He was attacked by a giraffe." Mary explained.

"Attacked?" Kevin said trying not to laugh.

"By a giraffe?" Lucy said right behind him on the verge of laughter.

"I thought giraffes were gentle." Eric said.

"They are." Mary added, "It was a man in a giraffe suit."

"Now I know what to dress up as this Halloween." Matt said.

"That's not funny." Carlos said, "It was very traumatic, now can we drop it."

"How are we going to get it out?" Lucy asked.

Ruthie found herself alone in the living room. Her family had left her with the rest of the gifts to open while they went to get the gift that was stuck in Simon's car unstuck.

"I wonder what it is?" Ruthie said to herself with a sigh, as she began to open gifts from all the church ladies. It was all stuff she was going to need and she was grateful. The gift from Olivia had been a beautiful silver baby brush and mirror. Freddie had given her a card that said she was going to have to wait a few days. Mac's gift had her laughing so hard. It was a set of shirts, an adult and a baby shirt saying Big Dude and Little Dude. She left the massive pile of gifts from Martin in the corner. She just couldn't open them right now. After organizing her loot she picked up one of the books Freddie had given her and curled her feet up under herself and began to read.


	29. Chapter TwentyNine: The Ring

Chapter Twenty Nine

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

**The Ring**

Ruthie sighed kicking her feet as she walked across the street. She knew she needed to apologize but he made her so mad sometimes, that she could scream. She just couldn't understand him. One minute he wanted to be with her and the next minute he didn't. Rolling her eyes and taking a deep breath, Ruthie opened the front door to find the downstairs empty. Heading upstairs she found herself heading to Martin's bedroom. Taking a seat on his bed she closed her eyes for a minute. Just a minute.

That's where Martin found her an hour later. Fast asleep laid across his bed. A smile spread across his face as he looked down at her upturned sleeping face. Bending down he pushed her hair behind ear causing her to mumble in her sleep. Martin knew in that moment that the decision he had made was the best decision he'd made yet. He needed her in his life; he wanted her in his life. Forever and always. Picking up the blanket at the end of the bed he covered up her sleeping form and kissed her on the head.

"I love you, Martin." she mumbled and then fell back to sleep.

"I love you, Ruthie." Martin said laying down beside her and wrapping his arm around her and placing his hand upon her baby bump, "And I always will."

In that moment Martin felt closer to Ruthie then he ever had in his entire life and he felt his heart fill. It was hard to believe that he'd ever contemplated living life without her because it seemed to him that she made life worth living. And the feeling of her in his arms filled him with such warmth and such a feeling of peace. Smiling he closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall asleep.

Kevin couldn't take it any longer he had to talk to Martin now. He was going to talk to Martin. Then again maybe talk wasn't the right word. More like lecture, order, and yell at. Kevin loved Ruthie like a sister. She was his sister. And that little juvenile Martin had taken away her childhood or teenagehood. He'd ruined her chances to go to college or have a grandiose career. Heading up to Beau Brewer's front door he knocked, waking Martin from his slumber.

Martin smiled kissed Ruthie's check, covered her up more with the blanket, and then headed downstairs.

"Kevin?" Martin asked answering the door, "Why are you here?"

"To talk to you?!" Kevin said in his award winning cop voice.

"About?"

"ABOUT?!" Kevin yelled, "About you destroying Ruthie's life!"

"You're here about the baby."

"Yeah and about Ruthie." Kevin ordered, "You're going to marry her!?"

"You can't make me do anything I don't want to." Martin said.

"You want to bet." Kevin said, "The only way you're getting out of marrying her is if she says no."

"Oh so it's her decision only?"

"Yeah it is!" Kevin said, "Since you're the reason her life is over."

"My life isn't over." Ruthie said standing on the landing.

"Ruthie?" Kevin said.

"My life isn't over and this is just as much Martin's fault as it is mine." Ruthie said walking towards them with a look neither of them had ever since and neither could describe, "Kevin you need to leave now. I love you but this is my bridge to cross. My problem. My decisions. You can't make them for me."

"Ruthie?"

"Kevin leave." Ruthie said pointing towards the door. Kevin huffed and puffed like a two year old but headed out the door. Turning Ruthie stood looking up at Martin's face.

"Ruthie, how much did you hea…" Martin began but was cut off.

"Enough." She replied with a look of sadness in her eyes, "Martin I think it's time we both realize that this was something that just happened. And that while are child needs both of us, I think it's time we stop lying to each other. It's time you stop playing games with my emotions…"

"I'm not..."

"You are and I'm done allowing it." She said opening the door, "And I didn't want to marry you either."

As soon as the door closed, Ruthie felt her hold break. She felt the uncontrollable tears come; they had become her friends these past months. Her tears began to fall harder and harder as she walked across the street with her head held high. And in that moment she knew. She knew that in the end it all fell on her. The decisions. She had to make them and it scared her. Coming to pass the house she smiled a little upon seeing Simon on top of his car push the head of stuffed giraffe through his sunroof. Her Dad was pulling it through the left door and Matt was pushing through the right.

Martin felt his eyes get wet as he watched Ruthie walking away from him. He never cried. Never. Never cried but this time he felt the threatening feeling of tears.

Taking a set on a nearby chair Martin reached into his pocket and pulled out a little velvet black box. Snapping it open he looked down at the beautiful diamond that had been his mother's. The diamond he'd wanted to give to Ruthie. He wanted to slip it on to her finger and he wanted to see joy in her eyes.


	30. Chapter Thirty: The Side Effects

Chapter Thirty

**Chapter Thirty**

**The Side Effects **

Ruthie stood in front of her full length mirror trying to stretch a t-shirt over her enormous stomach. She pulled and tried to stretch it out but at five months pregnant her clothes were begging to not fit. She'd been trying to forget about Martin but that was hard to do with the evidence of there one night of drunken passion under her shirt or not under her shirt because the damn thing wouldn't stretch far enough. It only came up to about the middle of her stomach and no farther, it was showing off her brand new stretch marks, which made her feel worse about her body and appearance. Pregnancy was a beautiful thing people told her but they forgot to mention the side effects like the aching back, the swollen feet, the stretch marks, and that her clothes would eventually stop fitting.

Letting out a loud sigh she grabbed her robe off the chair and put it on. It seemed to be the only thing that still fit around her. She couldn't understand how everything had seemed to fit yesterday but today nothing fit. Taking a seat on her bed she put her poor tired feet up and dialed Freddie and Olivia's number on her phone.

"My clothes don't fit?!"

"It was inevitable." Olivia said with her usual sassiness.

"I have something to fix that." Freddie announced.

"What can possible fix it?" Olivia replied smartly, "You don't have a time machine do you?"

"Noooo!" Freddie said dragged out his annoyed Os.

"Then What?"

"I can't tell you."

"Then why did you say anything?" Olivia asked annoyed.

"I said I can't tell you I have to show you." Freddie said.

"Well then show me."

"What am I a freaken genie? I can't just zap myself in front of you."  
"Can you two stop bickering and just come over," Ruthie begged, "And Freddie pick me up some of that macaroni salad from that barbeque place please."

"Food?!" Ruthie said with a smile as Freddie entered with a portfolio and a bag, Olivia trailing behind with Ruthie's prized bag of take-out.

"Gimme." Ruthie said ripping the bag out of Olivia's hands, she quickly found the disposable fork and was soon eating, "I was starving."

"You're always starving!" Olivia said with a roll of her eyes.

"She's pregnant." Freddie said walking over and patting Ruthie's stomach, "She's supposed to be hungry."

"Whatever Freddie, So what's going to make this hungry crazed person's clothes magically fit?" Olivia asked.

"I'm not hungry crazed!" Ruthie said while eating the macaroni salad like a person who hadn't eaten in days.

"Yeah you are." Olivia said.

"But you're supposed to be." Freddie added.

"Alright enough on her eating habits what's magically going to fix this issue with the clothes not fitting?"

"This!" Freddie said handing Ruthie his treasured portfolio. She opened it and flipped through the pages between bites. The pages were filled with beautifully sketches of Freddie's designs. They truly showed his vision and his passion for clothing and fashion.

"Maternity wear!?" Olivia said stating the obvious.

"They're beautiful designs." Ruthie said closing the book.

"Thank you." Freddie said with a smile, "I made them for you."

"You made them for me?" Ruthie asked shocked.

"Yep, it's my gift to you and the solution to your problem."

"You're a real genius!" Olivia said, "Too bad you can't wear those sketches."

"I've made you three outfits so far." Freddie said ignoring Olivia, he handed Ruthie the bag of clothes, "Soon you'll have an entire wardrobe."

"Awww thank you, Freddie." Ruthie said giving him a hug.

"You're making her an entire wardrobe?" Olivia asked a little jealous, "You've never even made me one outfit!"

"You've never been pregnant," Freddie said, "but if you get pregnant I'd be happy to make you a wardrobe too."

"Thank you." Olivia said, "But then I wouldn't be able to wear a bikini."

"Suit yourself." Freddie replied.

"Wearing a bikini is the least of my worries." Ruthie said opening the bag up. The outfits were defiantly well made and beautiful. They showed off Freddie's true talent.

"Thank you." Ruthie said again and kissed Freddie's cheek.

"You're very welcome." Freddie said grinning ear to ear, "I think I've found my specialty."

"Maternity wear?" questioned Olivia.

"Yep."

"Well I love them." Ruthie said with a smile.

"Now that the clothes issue is taken care of," Olivia said plopping down on Ruthie's bed, "Let's talk about Martin."

"What about Martin?" Ruthie asked looking innocent as you can be being pregnant and seventeen.

"Well you refuse to open his gift yet here they are in your room." Freddie said.

"My mom brought them up hoping I'd open them and then go talk to Martin." Ruthie answered, "I have my reason for being mad at him."

"Reasons you refuse to tell us." Olivia complained.

"Reasons we don't need to know, OOOOlivia." Freddie said again pronouncing the O for eternity, "but I do think you should work this out with him. The fact is you're pregnant and the baby is going to need a father weather you like it or not. I'd do it but Martin deserves a chance. Maybe not with you but with your child, his child."

"I know." Ruthie said unable to look at them.

"I'm here for you if you need me though." Freddie said taking a seat next to her he wrapped his arm around her, "And you know I love you."

"Why can't you be straight?" Ruthie asked with a laugh as she wiped her tears away.

"You need to talk to him." Freddie said.

"A serious Fred Flintstone." Olivia said contemplating it, "I never thought I'd see the day."

"I can be serious!?" Freddie said, ignoring him Olivia walked over to the window and began to look out.

"What are you looking for?" Ruthie asked.

"Flying pigs because if Freddie is being serious the world is a changing!" Olivia said and for the first time in a very long time Ruthie laughed like a seventeen year old girl who was just hanging with her two best friends.

**Note:**** When I originally named this story 'Martin and Ruthie' I didn't have a good idea for the name and now that I have figure out how I'm ending it. I'm changing the name to 'The Martin and Ruthie Story'! I don't know if it will change anything else like the alerts or anything so I just thought I'd tell everyone. I'll be changing it next Monday when I added the newer chapter. **


	31. Chapter ThirtyOne: The Fights

Chapter Thirty-One

**Chapter Thirty-One**

**The Fights**

Sighing Ruthie found herself, all alone once Freddie and Olivia left. She was at a lost on what to do next. She found herself debating on weather or not to call Martin. Finally her Camden blood kicked in and she found herself dialing Martin's cell.

"Hey." Martin said picking up with a sober voice.

"Hey it's Ruthie."

"I know who it is." Martin grumbled.

"Yeah, well we need to talk."

"I think you've talked just about enough about us." Martin replied.

"I meant about our child not us." Ruthie said feeling her heart break even more, "There is no us!"

"Yeah fine." Martin said not knowing that Ruthie was saying that only to protect herself from getting even more hurt than she already was, which was saying a lot considering how hurt she was.

"Look Forget about us." She said fighting back tears.

"Fine." Martin said wanting to hang up the phone and to throw it out the window instead he found himself taking a seat on his bed.

"I think we need to just focus on 'our' baby." Ruthie said feeling like she was going to break when she said 'our' baby.

"I agree and I will be their for him or her." Martin said, "Look I have to go I have an exam to study for and baseball practice in an hour."

"Alright." Ruthie said fighting the tears once again; she was getting good at holding them back, "Talk to you later."

After hanging up she found herself wanting to scream and wanting to throw everything in her room out the window but she found herself sitting all alone on her bed with her arms wrapped around herself. She began to wonder what was going to happen to her. What was going to happen between her and Martin? Were they going to be fighting over whose weekend it was or was he just lying? Was he going to just leave her to raise the baby alone? What was she going to do?

These questions had been questions she'd been asking herself ever since Dr. Grant had told her she was pregnant and now she found herself Three and a half months later still asking her self the same questions and she was done with asking. She was going to figure out the answers and soon.

The next day the Camden home was busy. Matt and Mary were both packing up their families and getting ready to leave first thing in the morning. Ruthie found herself listening to her or really Mary's ipod considering she'd broken hers when she'd thrown it at Martin on accident but on purpose. Martin seemed to appear every time she was thinking that she didn't want to see him and this time was no different.

"Hey." he said as she took the headphones off her head and held the ear pieces to her growing bump.

"Hey."

"What are you doing?" Martin asked looking at her like her father had been right; his children were a bunch of crazy coconuts.

"Freddie bought me a bunch of parenting books and they say that by letting an unborn child listen to music that it makes them smarter." She said trying to keep her emotions in check. She wasn't ready to handle him now. He hadn't called her since yesterday and he had just shown up like he had a right to. Maybe in a way he did but she didn't want to think about that right now.

"So what are you or it listening to?" he asked her as he began to walk closer.

"I don't know it's a pop station." She said forcing a smile.

"My son or daughter is not going to listen to pop music." Martin said grabbing the headphones.

"OUR child is going to listen to whatever he or she wants." Ruthie said reaching for the ear pieces that Martin had taken from her. Before she knew it they'd broken in half.

"YOU BROKE MARY'S IPOD?!" Ruthie screamed and of course upon hearing that, Mary followed by Carlos came running up into Ruthie's room.

"What do you mean my ipod?" Mary asked eyeing her.

"I borrowed it." Ruthie said, "It was falling out of your purse, I didn't think you'd mind."

"You stole my ipod?!" Mary yelled.

"I borrowed it!"

"Wait just a minute." Carlos said, "Your ipod is broken."

"Ummm….I….I bought a new one on sale." Mary said.

"You never buy anything on sale and that looks an awful lot like mine." Carlos replied eyeing his wife in annoyance.

"Well I didn't think you'd mine."

"You stole my ipod!?" Carlos yelled, "I thought I'd lost it. I even asked you if you'd seen it."

"I borrowed your ipod and you never asked me if I'd seen it."

"I did too!" Carlos said.

"I'm not going to fight with you!" Mary said heading out the door with Carlos on her tail.

"What do you mean you forgot to tell me that Dr. Gregory had called?" Sarah questioned Matt in the hallway, her hands on her hips and her eyes staring him down.

"I forgot?" Matt said trying to fake innocence.

"You did not!" Sarah said, "I don't understand why you don't like him? He's really nice and he's helped me a lot on finding my way around that wing of the hospital."

"He's only helping you because…because…"

"Because, What Matt?"

"Because he wants you," Matt said throwing up his hands and shaking his head.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"It means I don't trust him." Matt said.

"I think it means you don't trust me." Sarah said slamming the bathroom door in Matt's face.

Not to far away Annie and Eric found themselves fighting as well. The only difference between Matt and Sarah's, Ruthie and Martin's, and Mary and Carlos's fight and theirs was that it was about the children.

"YOU TOOK THE BOYS OUT OF SCHOOL!?" Annie yelled at him, "WHY?"

"Because….because…"

"Because why Eric?" Annie asked staring him down with all the venom she could muster.

"Because, I don't want them to do the same thing that Ruthie did. I don't want them to make the same mistake." Eric said.

"You didn't just say that about MY daughter?!" Annie said now really annoyed.

"I didn't mean that?!" Eric said, "It came out wrong."

"You think?! And just what are we going to do about the boy's education?"

"I was thinking you could home school them??"

"You've really lost it Eric!?" Annie said now heading up the kitchen stairs, really, really angry.

It was at that second that the doorbell rang and that Sam answered the door to find Colonel and Ruth Camden standing their smiling.

"Where's your sister? Where's Ruthie?" Colonel asked loud enough that the entire house heard and all the fighting in the entire house seemed to completely stop. And silence filled everyone and everything.

NOTE: I'm sorry this wasn't up yesterday :) I know this isn't up to my regular standards…next weeks will be better.


	32. Chapter ThirtyTwo: The Snitch

Chapter Thirty One

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

**The Snitch **

Mary stared at her husband confused, he was rushing around the room grabbing clothes off the hangers and throwing them into the suitcases. He was rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off and Mary thought he looked in insane so she found herself standing back a distance watching and laughing at her nut of a husband. Finally unable to take it any longer she asked, "What are you doing?"

"We have to leave NOW?!" Carlos said flinging the suitcases on the floor with a loud thump, "Like now!?"

"What are you talking about?" Mary said shaking her head and forcing back laughter, she loved her husband, he was so entertaining.

"Just come on!" Carlos said handing Mary Charlie he heaved the suitcases on his back.

"You're going to give yourself a hernia." Mary said concerned.

"Right now that doesn't matter. We just have to leave and NOW?!" Carlos said heading down the stairs.

"Ok I guess we have to leave NOW, Charlie." Mary said causing Charlie giggle.

"Daddy's nuts!" Charlie declared.

"Yep, like a fruitcake." Mary said agreeing.

"I'm worried." Annie said pacing in front of her husband, "They've been up there for a long time. Maybe we should have gone up and saved her."

"The colonel's bark is worse than his bite, she should be ok." Eric said just as Carlos flew down the stairs and out the back door.

"What the??" Annie asked confused she turned to look at Eric as Mary came down with Charlie.

"What's going on?" Eric asked his eldest daughter.

"I'm not exactly sure." Mary said, "But I now know how Kevin feels being married to Lucy."

"Mary we've got to go NOW?!" Carlos said coming back in and then back out again.

"Are you leaving?" Annie asked, "I thought you were staying through tomorrow."

"So did I," Mary said rolling her eyes, "but Carlos has lost it."

"Mary we've got to go now!" Charlie said repeating what his father had said minutes before.

"I guess so." Mary said kissing his head.

"I wonder what's gotten into him." Eric said giving Mary and Charlie a hug goodbye.

"Tell us what's going on when Carlos is sane enough to tell you." Annie said kissing both Charlie and Mary.

"I will." Mary said with a smile, "Bye."

"See ya water awwagator." Charlie said waving like a movie star.

"After while crocodile." Eric said smiling at his grandson.

"Bye." Mary said heading out to find her husband pacing in front of taxi he'd called.

"I've done something very stupid." Carlos said.

"What?"

"Get in the taxi and I'll tell you." he said opening the car door.

"I wonder what's with Carlos." Annie said to her husband as Martin charged down the stairs and out the door.

"I wonder what's with him." Eric said.

"What do you think?" Annie asked tilting her head and eyeing him.

"The Colonel." Eric said putting on a fake grin.

"Colonel." Annie said shaking her head, "I pray this doesn't cause anymore problems. Speaking of problems we need to get back to talking about the boys education."

"I wonder what Carlos is hiding." Eric said quickly changing the subject, "Maybe I should follow them to the airport."

Annie gave her husband a look all husband's dreaded the look that as a husband you were suppose to avoid and pray you never got, "Or not!"

"What's with the giraffe in Simon's car?" Colonel asked breaking the silence after Martin's departure.

"It was a baby shower gift from Simon." Ruthie said gathering all her strength watching Martin walk away again had torn her to pieces but she'd sworn to herself that she was never going to cry over him again.

"And it's in his car because?" Ruth asked.

"Because no one can seem to get it out." Ruthie said, "Simon seems to have gotten it stuck."

"Simon and the situations he gets himself into." Colonel said causing Ruthie to look down at her abdomen and then back up.

"So you'll think about it?" Ruth asked.

"I know it's a big decision but it might be for the best." Colonel said smiling he did something that wasn't really colonel like. He stood up and wrapped his arms around his Ruthie.

"I wasn't expecting this." Ruthie said wrapping her arms around Colonel.

"We know you weren't." Ruth said rubbing the back of Ruthie's head.

"We love you." Colonel said bringing tears to her eyes.

"I love you too." Ruthie said.

"So you'll think about?" Colonel said, "Really think about it?"

"Yeah I will." Ruthie said taking a seat once again.

"Alright were about five minutes from the airport will you tell me why we had to rush out like that?" Mary asked Carlos still confused.

"I've done something really stupid." he said as he pushed the hair out of his son's sleeping face.

"We've already established that." Mary said, "Now please tell me what you've done?"

"You know that book club Colonel and I started?"

"Yeah I still don't get why you guys started one. Isn't a book club like a girl's thing?" Mary asked him.

"We read war books." Carlos said.

"Yeah while snacking on cucumber sandwiches." Mary said rolling her eyes.

"What their good?!" Carlos said licking his lips, "Speaking of cucumber sandwiches, I'm starving."

"Carlos?!"

"What?"

"Will you just tell me what you've done already?" Mary begged getting annoyed.

"Well Colonel called to fill me in on what I missed at the meeting and he kinda tricked me."

"Tricked you?" Mary questioned.

"He tricked me into talking." Carlos answered, "He is a colonel after all."

"Talking? Oh no?! You didn't? Carlos, how could you?" Mary said annoyed, "You told him about Ruthie didn't you?"

"Yeah but he tricked me." Carlos complained.

"What are you three?" Mary asked.

"I'm three!" Charlie declared popping awake.

"Yeah you are, Sport." Mary said still eyeing Carlos.

"What?" Carlos asked throwing up his hands.

"Ruthie's going to kill us!? No, I take that back she's going to kill you." Mary said rolling her eyes, "You couldn't just keep your mouth closed could you?"


	33. Chapter ThirtyThree: The Life We Call A

Chapter Thirty-Three

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

**The Life We Call A Roller Coaster **

"You call me if you need me." Matt said giving his pregnant sister another hug, "Will hop on a plane and come straight back if you need us to."

"I won't." Ruthie said with a laugh, Matt was a wreck, "I promise you I won't and you are coming back."

"A month before the due date." Matt said pacing a bit.

"We talked about this, Matt." Ruthie said shaking her head, "You're coming back a week before the due date and not one day before that."

"He just loves you." Sarah said smiling.

"I know and I love him." Ruthie said giving Sarah a hug, "And you."

"Call us and keep us posted." Sarah said smiling, "You're the sister I never had and I want to know everything that's going on with my niece or nephew. I still can't believe you don't want to know what it is."

"You know me." Ruthie said releasing her sister, "I'm always full of surprises."

"Yes you are." Sarah said patting Ruthie's bump, "Full of them."

"I love you guys but if you don't leave you're going to miss your flight." Ruthie said giving them each a hug.

"Another negative," Lucy said sadly as she came out of the bathroom, "I was so sure this time."

"We can always try again." Kevin said with a wicked grin from where he stood in the doorway.

"We must be doing something wrong." Lucy said throwing the pregnancy test in the nearby trash can.

"Wrong?" Kevin questioned, "Is there even a wrong way?"

"I don't know but I do know I'm not pregnant." Lucy said, "And we've been trying for months. Something must be wrong with me."

"Come on Luce." Kevin said putting an arm around her and leading her to the nearby settee, "Theirs nothing wrong with you, it's just going to take sometime. These things don't just happen over night…well they do but you know what I mean."

"I'm just scared what if we never get pregnant again." Lucy said, "I know that sounds selfish but I want another baby."

"And we'll have one. One way or another." Kevin said kissing the side of her head, "You just need to relax."

"I'm relaxed. I'm always relaxed." Lucy said earning a snort from Kevin.

"Sure you are." Kevin said giving her another quick kiss.

"What's going on now?" Mac asked as he entered his friend's apartment to find it a mess and his friend an even bigger mess, "You know I should get paid for this. You're a lot of work Martin."

"She's gonna leave me." Martin said.

"Whose gonna leave you?" Mac asked as he began to pick up empty pizza boxes and soda cans off the floor.

"Ruthie." Martin replied sadly.

"What do you mean Ruthie's going to leave you? I thought you two had already broken up."

"No I mean leave me." Martin said.

"Where is she going?" Mac asked still confused, Martin's relationship with Ruthie was giving him a headache. How was anyone supposed to keep up? One second they were apart and the next second they were together and then apart again. It was like a never ending roller coaster rife with those two and Mac felt like he'd had one too many corn dogs. He groaned taking a seat next to Martin he asked once again, "Where is she going?"

"We still haven't figured out why the Colonel and Ruth are here or what decision Ruthie has to make all of a sudden and I have to tell you it's making me very nervous." Annie said pacing back and forth in front of where Eric sat on the bed, "What decision does she have to make?"

"If I knew I'd tell you." Eric said as he wrote, "But since I don't know and I have a sermon to write before tomorrow, you either need to go ask or wait for Ruthie to come to you."

"Oh ok." Annie said with a sigh as she began heading for the hall.

"Where are you going?"

"To ask the Colonel why he's here." Annie declared, she was on a mission.

"I meant ask Ruthie." Eric called out but Annie was already gone.

"I hope she decides to come and live with us." Ruth said as Annie had made it close enough to the door to hear but far enough that she wasn't seen. Annie Camden had never been one to eavesdrop but it seemed some of her daughter had worn off on her and she found herself shocked into doing just that.

Minutes later Annie headed silently back into her bedroom and curled up on to the bed next to her husband and cried.

"What's wrong?" Eric asked setting down his notepad and pen.

"It's just….It's just…." Annie began but was unable to finish, unable to accept the fact that Ruthie might possibly be leaving.

Author's note: I'm sorry this wasn't up yesterday something was up with my internet but it's all fixed now :)


	34. Chapter Thirtyfour: The Lamaze Class

Chapter Thirty-Four

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

**The Lamaze Class**

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Ruthie said opening the passenger door and getting out of Olivia's car.

"It wasn't my idea." Olivia said, "There are a lot of other things I could be doing tonight even if it's not a date night."

"I agree." Ruthie said turning back towards the car, "Maybe we should just get back into the car and pretend we were never here."

"We can't," Freddie declared way too excited, "This is going to be fun and you need it. You should have started the class months ago."

"A very good point," Olivia said heading in the direction Ruthie was headed, "She's already way too far behind. Let's go."

"She can get caught up," Freddie said putting an arm around each of there shoulders and pulling them towards the Glen Oak Community Center doors, "Your both coming weather you want to or not."

"Don't I have a say in this?" Ruthie questioned, "I am the mother."

"Nope," Freddie answered as he opened the doors.

"I really don't see the point in this. I mean an entire class on breathing?" Olivia said trying once again to talk Freddie into leaving but, he only rolled his eyes.

Kevin found himself at a loss for words when he entered his bedroom to find the entire room rearranged, candles were everywhere, the lights were low, soft romantic music was playing, and the bed was covered in white flowers that he'd never seen before.

"What the….?" Kevin asked his wife as she entered the room in a little black teddy.

"What?" Lucy said throwing his question back in his face.

"Why has the furniture been rearranged?"

"It's Fungi Shui." Lucy said, "It's supposed to make me more fertile."

"Ok so now I get the music and candles but what's with the white flowers…wouldn't roses be more fitting?"

"No those flowers are Stars of Bethlehem." Lucy said as if the explained everything.

"Stars of Bethlehem?" Kevin asked still confused it was the middle of the day and Lucy had sent him on a bunch of errands and he'd return to find this and it wasn't that he minded find Lucy like this it was just well…she'd become a little obsessed with getting pregnant, "And that means what?"

"Well if you make love on Stars of Bethlehem and conceive it suppose to make for an easy child birth and I thought it might also help with the conception part."  
"What?"

"It couldn't hurt could it?"

"Where did you find out how to Fungi Shui a room or that Flowers of Bethlehem help with child birth?" Kevin asked now a little worried.

"It's Stars of Bethlehem and on the web." Lucy said taking a seat on the bed, "You want to give it a try?"

"Do you think we could sneak out and ditch Freddie? Do you?" Olivia begged as she watched Freddie head over to the sign up table to sign in on the sign up sheet while Ruthie and her filled out the forums.

"He'd kill us." Ruthie said as she began to fill out the forums in her hands.

"True but in the end I think it would all even out." Olivia said, "Come on this is torture."

"How's it torture...Ooh?!" Ruthie said causing Olivia to turn to look at her concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing just a kick," Ruthie said, "A very big kick in the ribs."

"Can I feel?" Olivia asked.

"Why not?" Ruthie said grabbing Olivia's manicured hand and placing it on the spot that the baby seemed content on kicking.

"Hey?!" Freddie cried walking towards them, "I want to feel the baby?"

"Wait your turn." Olivia replied.

"What am I an attraction at the zoo?" Ruthie groaned as Freddie pushed Olivia out of the way and placed his hand on her belly only to find that the kicking had come to a complete stop.

"I don't feel anything." Freddie complained, "Why do I always miss the kicks?"

"Because the baby likes me better," Olivia said as she inspected her fingernails, "And can tell that you have no fashion sense."

"That's not true and look at your top your wearing." Freddie said running his hand through his very 'fashionable' spiked black hair.

"What's wrong with my top?" Olivia questioned completely forgetting what had started their fight.

"Nothing." Freddie said.

"What's wrong with my top?" Olivia asked again.

"It's just so last season."

"It is not and you know it." Olivia said looking down at her shirt.

"Ok it's not but it's sluttish." Freddie said.

"Did you just call me a slut?"

"No but that's what the boys bathroom says." Freddie replied. Ruthie found herself shocked as she looked from one friend to another. They weren't acting like themselves and if she didn't break this up soon she'd have a cat fight on her hands.

"Stop it you two." Ruthie said taking control, "Your acting like two year olds."

"Sorry." Olivia said with a pout.

"Sorry." Freddie said with the same expression as Olivia.

"I take that back your acting worse than two year olds." Ruthie said throwing her arms up which seemed to affect the baby somehow because she got a very painful kick to the ribs.

Eric couldn't figure out what was going on with Annie she was rushing around the house cleaning everything in site. He knew something was wrong. She'd been acting weird ever since Matt and Sarah had left. Finally unable to take it any longer he cornered her in the kitchen and asked, "What's wrong? You can tell me."

"It's just that well…Ruthie went to a Lamaze class…"

"And?" Eric question confused.

"And I wanted to take her." Annie said.

"Then why didn't you just go with her?" Eric asked.

"I wanted to take her!" Annie repeated, "Just me."

"Annie what's really the matter?" Eric asked taking a seat next to her.

"I…I found out why The Colonel and Ruth are here."

"Why?"

"They want Ruthie to come live with them." Annie said breaking down into tears. What neither Eric nor Annie knew was that the boys had heard everything from where they sat on the stairs.

"Excuse me who do we give these forums to?" Ruthie asked the woman who looked like the instructor.

"To me, I'm Macy Kline but you can call me Macy." The woman said taking the forums from Ruthie, "First time mom I'm assuming."

"Yeah."

"And this must be the daddy." Macy said turning to Freddie.

"Nope I'm the gay best friend." Freddie said.

"And I'm the straight best friend who doesn't see the point in this." Olivia said.

"Theirs a point trust me." A pregnant woman said, "Imagine squeezing a watermelon through a lemon. She's going to need those breathing techniques."

"That was way more than I need or wanted to know." Ruthie said wishing she'd never let Freddie talk her into this stupid Lamaze class.

**Authors Note:**** I have few notes for everyone…First off I'm uploading early because I'm helping my boyfriend, Joe throw a surprise anniversary party for his parents and won't be able to upload it tomorrow…next week I will be uploading like normal….hopefully:)**

**Second I've had quite a few people tell me that they love Freddie and just to let everyone know he's based on a very good friend of mine…And someone once mistook him for my boyfriend (Just like the Lamaze instructor mistook Freddie for the daddy) and his response was the same "Nope I'm the gay best friend!"….That line has just always stuck with me so I decided to add it in this chapter….just a cool little fact :)**

**Third and last I have to say ****thank you**** so so so much to everyone for the positive comments and e-mails they are very much appreciated and they make me want to continue writing :) **

**Until Next Monday, **

**Caroline **


	35. Chapter ThirtyFive: The Sleepless Night

Chapter Thirty-Five

**Chapter Thirty-Five**

**The Sleepless Night**

Turning over Ruthie looked at her alarm clock and let out a sigh. It was 2:30 am and she just couldn't seem to fall asleep. She'd been tossing and turning all night long. She wanted to sleep. She really did. As a matter of fact she was extremely tired but she just couldn't turn her brain or thoughts off. The wall clock was making the loudest ticking sound, the branches were scraping up against her window making a sound like nails running across a chalkboard, Happy was gnawing her bone, and she felt like her skin was melting even though it was freezing outside. But the truth was that none of these things were keeping her from sleep. What was keeping her awake as much as she didn't want to admit it was Martin. He hadn't called her in two weeks almost three and it was driving her crazy.

Freddie had said she should just 'suck it up' (her pride that is) and 'go visit the idiot because he wasn't answering his phone'. Olivia as expected disagreed with Freddie's advice. She thought that Ruthie should wait for Martin to call and if he didn't 'it was his loss and he was an idiot for letting her go'.

And if the Martin not calling her situation wasn't enough, she still had an enormous life altering decision to make and she wasn't just making it for herself. She'd been debating moving to Buffalo and not moving to Buffalo. She wanted to know weather or not Martin wanted to be apart of their child's life because that was what was going to make her final decision. He'd said yes that he wanted to be apart of the baby's life but he hadn't called her and he hadn't answered her calls. Sighing she kicked the covers off and headed down stair in search of macaroni and cheese.

Ruthie wasn't the only one that just couldn't fall asleep. On other side of Glenn Oak Olivia also found, herself unable to sleep, but her sleepless state was caused by a completely different guy though she'd never admit it. The one, the only, Martin's best friend, Mac seemed to keep popping into her mind uninvited. With a groan Olivia slipped out of her Egyptian sheets and grabbed her robe from Paris off her chair.

Olivia felt like a fraud, like her entire life was nothing but a façade that she put up and it was. She acted like she had such a grand life. Yes all of her clothes were designer and yes she'd traveled the world. She spent summer break in the Bahamas, winter break in Aspen, and spring break in Paris. And every night she ate food fit for a queen, the dishes and the chief costing more than most people spend eating out five times at a fancy restaurant, but did any of it really matter when she ate alone or when she went to Rome for mother daughter time and ended up spending the entire trip with her mother's sectary. She saw her father even less but at least his sectary liked her. She got everything money could buy but it just didn't seem worth it anymore. Had it ever been worth it? She wondered taking a seat in her sitting room with a cup of warm tea, that would hopefully put her to sleep.

What no one knew was that it hadn't been her mother's idea that she go to public school. No that was just something she said. The truth was that it was her idea. She'd never really fit in with the 'Richie Riches' at the academy she'd gone to. And at first she'd fit in with no one at Kennty High school but then she'd met Ruthie and Freddie. And for the first time she'd met someone who wasn't adding up what they could get out of her or adding up the dollar signs to see if she was cool (rich) enough to hang out with. Sighing she took a sip of tea and felt the warmth go down her throat.

Guys had always only been after her money until she'd met Mac. Mac, annoying Mac. Unable to keep a secret Mac. Funny Mac. Sweet Sensitive Mac. Mac that made her smile and feel not so alone. Mac. Mac.

"I'M IN LOVE WITH MAC!?" She yelled as the truth dawned on her.

"Miss, is everything ok?" Willington the butler said panting from his sprint up the stairs; she'd obviously woken him with her startling revelation.

"Yes I'm fine."

"Good Miss." Willington said in his British accent, "If you need me call."

"Willy?" Olivia asked looking up at the old man's wrinkled face, "Have you ever realized that you cared for someone too late?"

"It's never too late." Willington said raising a hairy white eyebrow, "Tell him…Tell him that you love him…it's never too late for that."

"How did you know it was a him or that I loved him?"

"I may be old but I still have my hearing." Willington said with a wink, "Good night, miss."

Mac had been spending his nights at Martin's because his apartment had caught fire and while it was being fixed he'd needed a place to stay but, he was beginning to regret his choice in temporary housing, because once again Martin had woken him up with the racket he was making.

"What are you doing now?" Mac asked charging into the kitchen to find all the dishes, pots, and pans spread out on the counters, "Once again what the heck are you doing?"

"Lining the cabinets," Martin replied as if every person lined their cabinets at four thirty in the morning.

"Why?" Mac asked a little afraid of Martin's answer, because his best friend had obviously lost it.

"To keep…to…oh I don't know what there for."

"Then why are you doing it?" Mac asked staring at the nut he called a friend.

"Because…because…it looks good." Martin said.

"Looks good? Come on Martin have you lost it? Its four thirty in the morning!?" Mac declared.

"I need to keep busy." Martin said.

"You still haven't called Ruthie back have you?"

"No I haven't."

"Martin this is ridiculous," Mac said moving a pot off a nearby chair and taking a seat, "Your going to stop moping around like a two year old and find out if Ruthie's moving or not. I'm going to Glenn Oak tomorrow to try and fix things with Olivia and you should do the same because you're driving me crazy."

While everyone else was unable to sleep, Freddie was dreaming of dancing chickens in his designs. A smile on his sleeping face.

**Authors' Note: **

**Hey, I'm back and thank you guys for all your patience and support it is very much appreciated. I'm not sure if this is up to my usual standards….I'll let you guys be the judge….I'll get back on track…Promise! **

**Until Next Monday,**

**Caroline**


	36. Chapter ThirtySix: The Opposite Directio

Author's Note:

**Author's Note: **

**Hey,**

**Sorry this wasn't up yesterday I went on an unplanned vacation. I uploaded last week but for some reason it didn't put out an alert. I'm not sure why it didn't….so make sure to read last weeks firsts.**

**Until Next Monday,**

**Caroline**

**Chapter Thirty-Six **

**The Opposite Direction**

As the sun rose over the small hamlet of Glen Oak, Olivia and Ruthie both found themselves already awake and heading in the opposite direction. Olivia was racing to Ruthie's and Ruthie was racing to Olivia's.

"Willy, Is Liv in her room?" Ruthie asked as Willington opened one of the huge double oak doors.

"No," Willington replied forcing back a yawn, it wasn't proper for a butler to yawn even if he had been awaken at four in the morning the night before, "No, She's headed over to your house, Miss Ruthie."

"Thanks Willy," Ruthie replied, "And Willy…"

"Yes, Miss?"

"Take a nap. I highly doubt Mrs. Vernoor will be home anytime soon and I'm going to need Olivia for the day!" she said as she got into her mother's mini van.

"Young love, So tragic, yet so romantic." Willington said sensing that Ruthie's troubles involved a young man, "And so entertaining."

As Ruthie rushed back to her house she found her mind filling with hope and fear for the day's outcome. Flying out of the van, she headed into the house through the back door. She could feel her macaroni and cheese coming back up, at five almost six months she thought she was done with this nasty business but obviously she wasn't. Ruthie rushed up the stairs passing Olivia as she made a dash for the bathroom.

After her stomach began to settle, Ruthie turned from were she sat, leaning over the toilet, to find Olivia standing there with a wet towel.

"Thanks." Ruthie said taking it to wipe her face.

"Aren't you supposed to be done with the throwing up?" Olivia questioned scrunching up her noise.

"I guess not." Ruthie said turning on the sink and splashing water in her face.

"Are you ok enough for me to ask you something?"

"I'm fine," Ruthie said, "And I need to ask you something too."

"You first,"

"No you tell me what you need to ask first." Ruthie said.

"I need to go up and see Mac," Olivia answered, "I think…no I know I'm in love with Mac and I need to tell him."

"Well I need to talk to Martin. I know you disagree with Freddi…"

"No," Olivia said cutting her off, "I was wrong and Freddie was right."

"What!?" Ruthie said shocked, "Did you just say that Freddie was right and you were wrong?"

"Yes," Olivia replied with a smile , "but don't tell him or he'll get a big head."

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Martin said.

"I didn't talk you into this; I didn't give you a choice." Mac replied turning onto the highway.

"Can't we just turn around and pretend this never happened?" Martin begged.

"And have to deal with you waking me up at four in the morning…I think not!" Mac said, "You're going to fix things with Ruthie or I'm gonna fix them for you!"

Simon Camden looked at the directions in his hand one more time; he'd obviously taken a wrong turn and gone in the opposite direction making him late for his meeting with his agent. He rarely meet Helen, at her office for this very reason. He always seemed to be getting lost. Groaning he pulled off at the next exit and into a gas station to look at his map and figure out where the heck he was.

Olivia was beginning to regret bringing Freddie along for moral support, because he was being the most obnoxious backseat driver she'd every met.

"Slow down," Freddie said, "No go a little faster."

"Freddie shove it." Olivia said.

"I know what I'm talking about. You did fail driver's ED twice remember."

"Whatever, Freddie."

"Turn up here." Freddie said pointing.

"No that'll take us in the opposite direction." Olivia said continuing to go straight.

"It will not," Freddie said, "It will get us there faster."

"Freddie I've come here a few more times than you have and all that turn would have done is take us in the opposite direction and get us lost."

"No it wouldn't have."

"Yeah it would have."

'Knock it off!?" Ruthie yelled over them playing mediator once again.

"Yeah Fred Flintstone knock it off." Olivia said.

"I believe she was talking to you,"

"I was talking to both of you," Ruthie replied, "Now please knock it off, your making my head spin."

"We're going to stop by Olivia's first." Mac said, "No the florist's first then Olivia's."

"You're really gone aren't you?" Martin said eyeing his lovesick friend.

'I am and so are you."

"I'm not denying it." Martin said, he knew he was just as lovesick maybe even more. No defiantly more.

Simon found himself now completely lost and completely annoyed at himself. Why couldn't he have just asked the guy at the gas station for direction? Why did have to be such a know it all that he couldn't just ask?

He was now two hours late and his cell phone had died. His charger was sitting on his kitchen counter not helping him one bit. Everything seemed to be in the opposite direction including his meeting, his charger, and his career.


	37. Chapter ThirtySeven: The NotSoFull Tru

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

**The Not-So-Full Truth**

Jenny Harpy was in love with Martin Brewer and she knew that if she could just show him how much better she was then that stupid little brunette who fell down his stairs, he'd be hers. She just had to show him how great she was. Smiling wickedly she climbed up the stairs and stopped at Martin's apartment door. She knew he wasn't their because his Hummer hadn't been in the parking lot, following her plan to show him how great she was, she lifted up the mat and gabbed the spare key she'd seen his new blonde roommate use each time he got home. Putting the key in the lock she let herself into his apartment and made herself _very_ much at home.

Mac wrinkled his nose as he looked back and forth between his choices. He found himself in a very big dilemma; he couldn't make up his mind. He had no idea where to start cutting back on his many options. What to pick? Hmm, what to pick? He just didn't know what to do. This was after all a very important, maybe even life altering decision.

"Hmmm," Mac said tapping his fingers on the counter, "What to pick?"

"Would you make up your mind already? We've been here for at least a half and hour." Martin complained.

"This is a VERY important decision!" Mac said.

"Picking out flowers is an important decision?"

"Yes!?" Mac squealed, "Very! They might be the deciding factor on weather or not she forgives me and takes me back."

"Whatever," Martin replied rolling his eyes, "Just make a decision and soon."

"I gave her red roses on our first date."

"Then get the red roses."

"But then again those blue flowers match her eyes," Mac said closing his eyes and obviously envisioning hers, "Their so beautiful. Her eyes I mean...their like an endless sea of blue with speckles of green..."

"She's got him reciting poetry." Martin uttered under his breath.

"...And when she looks at me I swear I'm..."

"I get it she's got great eyes and if you can't pick then get them both." Martin said shaking his head.

"Unlike you I don't have money like that," Mac said referring to the large monthly check Martin got from his mother's life insurance.

"Yeah well I'd trade that check in any day."

"I'm sorry that come out wrong," Mac said regretting what he'd said.

"I know," Martin said, "I'm just nervous about this whole thing."

"Aren't you getting Ruthie flowers?"

"Nope," Martin said, "I've learned my lesson. Ruthie's not a flower person."

Putting the car into park Olivia pulled down the mirror visor and reapplied her lip gloss. She pinched her cheeks to bring the color back in them and then she took a deep lung filling breath and turned to look at Ruthie in the seat beside her, "Are you ready?"

"Yeah but I thought we were going to Mac's first?" Ruthie said, she'd needed that extra time to prepare for the next few minutes with Martin.

"Mac's staying with Martin, something happened to his apartment it's all temporary." Olivia said opening her car door and stepping out into the sun shine.

"How did you find that out?" Ruthie said still not moving from where she sat.

"Freddie found it out from Michelle." Olivia said, "Now come on."

"Should we wake Freddie up?" Ruthie said looking into the backseat at her snoring best friend.

"No let him sleep," Olivia said, "and stop stalling, Missy. Get out of the car."

Ruthie finally forced herself to muster up the courage and open the car door. Biting her lip she looked up at Martin's apartment building, she began to wonder weather or not she'd made the right choice.

"Here goes nothing." She said to herself as she followed Olivia into the building and up the stairs. Olivia knocked several times on the door but no one answered.

"I guess no ones home." Ruthie said stating the obvious, "Let's go."

"No." Olivia said lifting the welcome mat up to reveal a key, "Just as I expected."

"How did you know that was there?"

"Mac always forgets his keys and as much as I love him he's a bozo. So I knew that he'd hide his spare key somewhere obvious and the most obvious place is a welcome mat." Olivia said unlocking the door.

"This is breaking and entering."

"You're having his baby and we're only entering." Olivia said returning the key to its original home under the welcome mat.

"Let's just go wait by the car." Ruthie urged Olivia.

"No come on," Olivia said dragging her into Martin's apartment.

"I have to go to bathroom," Ruthie said, "This is one thing I hate about being pregnant."

"Go find the bathroom, Ruthie. And stop being such a chicken. Once again you are having his baby."

"I guess so." Ruthie said.

She had only been in Martin's apartment once before and there hadn't really been time for a grand tour, so it was no surprise that Ruthie opened the wrong door and found herself entering Martin's bedroom.

Martin opened the back gate and headed into the Camden's yard. He found Sam and David sitting on the back steps looking sadder than a baseball player without a ball.

"What's wrong?" he asked glad for a little more time to prepare himself to face Ruthie.

"Ruthie's moving..." Sam began.

"...we heard Mom tell Dad awhile ago..." David added.

"...we can't think of a way to stop it from happening." Sam finished sadly as Martin felt his heart rip into a thousand little pieces.

"What's wrong?" Olivia asked when Ruthie came running into the room crying hysterically, tears running down her cheeks like a water fall.

"I...I...shshould...of known..." Ruthie cried, "Liv...we...havvve...to...gooo."

"What's going on?" Olivia asked grabbing Ruthie by the shoulders to keep her from falling over onto the floor.

"She'sss...in...hiss...bbbed..." Ruthie said, "With...nnothing on!"

"Oh god, Ruthie." Olivia said pulling her into a hug, "Come on let's get you to the car. Then I can come back up her and kick some..."

"Noooo," Ruthie said, "LLet's just gooo."

"Are sure? I can kick that homewreaker into next week."

"I'm...sure." Ruthie said to upset to laugh.

While Martin and Ruthie both found themselves not getting the whole truth, Simon found himself about to get the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Helen, Simon's agent was a very robust woman with very fake platinum blonde hair and while she acted as mean as a snake, Simon knew underneath it all she was as sweet as a kitten.

"You're late." she said tapping one her long flaming red acrylic nails on her wrist watch.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry, I got lost again." Simon said taking a seat in front of Helen's extremely messy desk.

"Simon we need to talk." She said picking up his manuscript that had been lying on her desk.

"Ok shoot?"

"This is crap," She said slamming it down onto the desk, "Plain and simple crap."

He had to agree with her but he just simply replied, "That bad?"

"Yes and you need to come up with something good and fast."

"I'm trying. I've hit a writer's block." Simon said.

"Well move the damn block and get going because if I don't have a good script and soon the agency are going to have to drop you. And there is nothing I can do about it." Helen said, "And Simon you know what?"

"What?"

"That'd be a really shame." She said, "And you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because I know you're a great screenplay writer." she said, "So put some heart in it and bring me some gold, Baby."

**Author's Note: **

**Hey Guys,**

**I'm back and hopefully I won't have to have anymore hiatuses, but with life you never know.**

**Until Next Monday,**

**Caroline **


	38. Chapter ThirtyEight: The Mac and Olivia

Chapter Thirty-Eight

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

**The Mac and Olivia Story**

After dropping Ruthie off at her house, Olivia headed home. Sighing she unlocked the front door and let herself in, it was Willington's night off. He was popularly playing cards with Mrs. Hart the widow who lived down the road. Letting out another sigh she felt lonelier than she had in her entire life. Setting down her purse she noticed the oddest arrangement of flowers setting on the side table. They hadn't been their earlier. Picking up the card that was attached she read it aloud to herself,

"_Olivia,_

_Look behind you._

_-Mac_"

"Do you like them?" A voice she knew very well asked coming towards her.

"Mac?" Olivia asked switching on the light, to find him standing before her.

"I'm here to apologize…" Mac began.

"No, no I should apologize," Olivia said cutting him off, "I never should have told you about Ruthie. It wasn't fair to you or to her. I shouldn't have expected you not to tell Martin. He is after all your best friend."

"Yeah but you were my girlfriend." Mac replied walking closer to her.

"Girlfriend?" Olivia questioned as her face broke out into a smile, "You considered me your girlfriend?"

"What else would I have considered you? My boyfriend?" Mac said with a laugh.

"I don't know but, _girlfriend_…I kinda like the sound of that."

"And I hope you'll give me another chance." Mac said taking her hands in his, "to let me be your boyfriend."

"Hmmm…I'll have to think about that."

"So your plan is to torture me until then?"

"No."

"Then you'll take me back." Mac begged.

"Hmmm…." Olivia said grabbing him by his shirt collar and pulling him down to her face. She kissed him forcefully on the mouth, "Does that answer your question?"

"Yes, now kiss me again."

"You don't have to ask me twice." Olivia said pulling him back into her arms and kissing him liked she wanted to for weeks.

Ruthie was forcing herself to feel nothing. She was forcing herself to feel numb because right now in this moment she couldn't handle any of her emotions. And she finally knew what she had to do. What she had to do for not only herself but for her baby. She couldn't keep letting herself get pulled in by Martin. She couldn't let him continue to run her life and the decisions she made. She had to stop putting him first, when obviously he didn't love her or the baby. And while she loved him more than anything and she knew that her life was always going to be missing something, she had move on without him for her baby's sake. Staying here and getting hurt over and over again was solving absolutely nothing, actually it was causing more problems and soon an infant would be in the mix.

Turning over from where she laid on her bed, Ruthie reached over and picked up the phone. She began to dial the numbers that would finalize her decision.

"Hello," Ruthie said when her grandmother, Ruth answered, "I've made up my mind."

"Stop….stop….before we can't stop." Olivia said reluctantly pushing Mac off of her.

"Do we have to?"

"You know we do," Olivia said trying to catch her breath, "Before I wouldn't have stopped but Ruthie's situation has taught me something."

"Me too, but I still can't help…"

"…wanting to." Olivia said buttoning up the buttons that had managed to come undone during there very passionate kiss.

"Make me a promise?"

"Depends on the promise." Olivia said eyeing him in curiosity.

"Promise me we won't get involved in Martin and Ruthie's drama ever again."

"PROMISE!?" Olivia said without hesitation, "And promise me you won't break my heart."

"That's not a hard promise to keep," Mac replied, "I'm more worried that you'll break mine."

Olivia had her opinions and rules when dealing with men. Her number one rule being never say the L word first but, tonight she found herself breaking every rule in her book, "I love you, Mac. You don't have to reciprocate but I just had to…"

"I love you, too."

"…tell you. I understand if you don't feel the same but…wait…you love me?"

"Yeah."

"You love me?"

"Yeah."

"Say it."

"I love you."

"Say it again."

"I love you, Olivia." Mac said pulling her into another very dangerous kiss that was only bound to lead them into trouble.

It wasn't until Willington walked into the front room and found Olivia and Mac on the grand staircase that their lips finally pulled apart.

"MISS OLIVIA?!" Willington said shocked upon seeing the girl he'd helped raise on the stairs with a boy's tongue down her throat.

"Oh my God, Willy?!" Olivia said quickly pulling her now ripped top tightly around her chest.

Martin unlocked his apartment door and threw his jacket in the nearby chair. Pulling off his shirt he opened his bedroom door to find Jenny on his bed without a stitch of clothing on. If she hadn't been wrapped up in his sheet he'd have seen everything.

"How did you get in?" he asked waking her up.

"Martin?" she said.

"How did you get in?" he repeated.

"Does it really matter?" she asked coming to stand before him, the sheet wrapped around her loosely.

"I guess not." Martin said. His heart was so broken and he was so angry that he didn't care anymore. He let her kiss him, but as soon as her lips touched his he saw Ruthie's face and he felt his hand tingle with longing to touch her.

"Just get out?!" Martin ordered pushing her off of him, "Just get out."

"You'll be sorry for this." Jenny said grabbing her clothes. As soon as his bedroom door closed he knocked everything of his shelf in angry, breaking the glass case that held his signed baseball.

"I can't believe Willy walked in on us." Olivia said blushing at the memory of her older butler's shocked face.

"Me either," Mac said, "I hope you liked the flowers."

"I do. It's a very unique arrangement."

"I couldn't make up my mind. The blue ones reminded me of your eyes, I gave you red roses on our first date, the daisies reminded me of your smile, the pink ones have such a sweet smell that they make me think of how sweet you are, the exotic ones remind me of how unique you are and for some reason I felt drawn to get the lily's. I know it's not really a very normal arrangement but I couldn't pick. I hope…."

"There perfect. And Lilly's are my favorite flowers." Olivia said forcing back tears, "I don't deserve them."

"Yes you do." Mac said kissing her cheek, "I love you."

"I love you too." Olivia said smiling as the warmest feeling overwhelmed her. A feeling of being truly happy and loved.

**Author's Note: **

**Hey,**

**I decided to upload today because it didn't send out an alert for last weeks. Monday, August 18 is when I'll update next and from then in on it will be every Monday until the story is done.**

**I know I left Marthie in a rather worrisome state but have the whole story planed out so don't worry:)**

**-Caroline**


	39. Chapter ThirtyNine: The Invitation

Author's Note:

**Author's Note: **

**Hey,**

** First off I know this isn't the best chapter and I know that there really isn't that much Marthie and hasn't been for the last few chapters and I know some of you are getting impatient but I can promise next weeks update will have Marthie!!**

**Oh and be sure to check out the promo poster I made for this story, the link to view it is on my profile page.**

**-Caroline **

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

**The Invitation**

Ruthie looked around her bedroom. It seemed so bare, now that half of her stuff was in boxes. She couldn't believe that she was actually going to leave Glen Oak in less then eight weeks, she'd grown up here, in this very house and she knew leaving it wasn't going to be very easy. And leaving her family and friends was going to be even harder. She remembered how she angry she'd been at Mary for leaving, then at Matt, then Lucy (but she'd come back), and finally how angry she'd been at Simon. She'd never truly understood what they'd been feeling until now. And leaving wasn't all that easy.

She was starving but found herself unable to move from where she sat at the end of her bed. She knew her mom was very heartbroken and Freddie and Olivia had been depressed by the fact that she was leaving. She had to admit she had a few doubts about her rash decision but she quickly pushed them out her head. A kick from the baby finally forced her to stand and go in search of food.

Freddie looked at the two letters; he held in his hands and read them once again. He couldn't believe it. He really couldn't believe it. Smiling he slipped them each back into there envelopes.

"The Coach wants to see you." Dan, one of Martin's teammates told him. Having a feeling it wasn't good Martin slammed his locker shut and headed to Mr. Davers, the couch's office.

"Dan said you need to see me, Coach."

"Brewer, take a seat," he said pointing to the chair in front of his desk, "We need to talk, Kid."

"Sure." Martin said taking a seat a little worried as to what the coach needed to talk about.

"Look you're a great baseball player but, lately your games been all off."

"I'm sorry; a lot has been going on in my personal…"

"I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt," he said ignoring Martin, "but if your game doesn't shape up and soon, I'm gonna have to kick you off the team and that means you'd lose your scholarship."

Ruthie began to tap her fork against the inside her bowl of butter macaroni noodles in a daze. She was beginning to think that maybe she should have given Martin a chance to explain. After all they had broken up but then she remembered that he hadn't answered her calls and those had been about the baby. Then again she thought…but the ringing of the phone distracted her.

"Camden residence." She said answering.

"Hello Ruthie?"

"Yeah."

"It's Colonel and I have some great news," he said, "I found you a job."

"You did?" Ruthie exclaimed, "But I only asked you yesterday to see if there were any available good jobs there."

"Well I found you one." He said obviously happy with his success.

"All I can say is that was fast."

"And not only did I find you a job but I found you the _perfect_ job." He said, "There's an employ daycare in the building. And they won't need you to start for another six months."

"That does sound perfect." Ruthie said, "But, what exactly is the job?"

"It's a secretary job."

"But I don't have training." Ruthie said.

"They'll train you." Colonel assured her, "I know the man that owns the company and he owes me big time. Let me give you the number."

"Ok, hold on let me find a piece of paper." Ruthie said opening up the junk drawer and pulling one out.

She quickly wrote down the numbers Colonel told her and promised to call before she hung up. Ripping off the paper with the number, she opened the junk drawer back up to put the notepaper back when she noticed an envelope. Pulling it out she opened it up to find an ivory invitation.

_Mr. and Mrs. Andre Dupree request your presents_

_at the wedding of there daughter,_

_Miss Michelle Dupree_

_To_

_Mr. Beau Brewer_

_On the fifteenth of May two thousand and seven_

_At twelve thirty pm at The Glen Oak Rosewood Inn_

"What was this doing in the drawer?" Ruthie asked Annie as she walked into the kitchen.

"Oh," Annie said upon seeing what was in Ruthie's hands, "We didn't want you to see that and get upset."

"Oh." Ruthie said.

"You and Martin had been having problems. And I don't think Beau accepts that you'll actually come with all that's happened and if you're not going I'm not sure weather your father or I will go. Michelle's having her Minister do the ceremony so there…." Annie said, but her voice began to blur as Ruthie looked down at the invitation again. For some reason she felt it was a sign and she knew she had to go and see Martin even if it was for the last time.


	40. Chapter Forty: The Wedding

Chapter Forty

**Chapter Forty**

**The Wedding**

Ruthie was beginning to wonder if she should have come to the wedding at all. Martin had been staring at her the entire time from where he stood next to the minister. She was just hoping that they'd hurry up with vows so she could get away from his freezing eyes. She felt another cramp in her stomach and bit her lip. She hoped this was normal because it was beginning to worry her. And she really didn't want to spend the rest of the day in the emergency room.

She had to admit she was extremely happy when the minister finally said, "You may now kiss the bride."

"What are you even doing here?" Martin asked walking up to her. She now knew that she was insane for coming to the wedding and then to the reception.

"I wanted to see you." She said looking down at her hands.

"Well I'm not a toy, Ruthie."

"What?"

"You heard me," he said bitterly, "You can't just pull me out when you want to."

"What?" Ruthie said feeling her angry rise.

"And beside," he said ignoring her, "Aren't you leaving me for good. What did you decide to have one last look at me before you left me behind?"

"What? How did you?" Ruthie said losing her voice as she felt another cramp. She couldn't handle this now. So much for a sign.

"How did I what? Make a fool of myself by letting you break my heart again and again."

"Martin I…I…"

"I, What? You're sorry? I don't think so. You've gotten exactly what you wanted." He said causing her to finally snap.

"I've gotten exactly what I wanted," she screamed at him, "I don't think so. I should be worrying about what college to go to not weather or not I'll be able to survive as a single mother because the guy I love is such of a jerk, he can't step up to the plate. The guy I love just wants to sleep with me. Not marry me and heaven forbid he be faithful to me."

"I…I…" Martin said unable to respond.

"And now I have to leave everything I love just so I don't put myself on path of self destruction because for some reason I keep coming back to you. For some reason I can't stop loving you. Well not anymore." Ruthie said turning on her heel and leaving Martin unable to move.

"Are you ok?" Olivia asked entering the Camden house, with Freddie on her tail.

"I'm as ok as I can be," Ruthie said forcing back tears, "All I can say as at least I got to speak my piece before I leave."

"Here." Olivia said handing her a glass of water, "Let's go upstairs and talk."

"Dad, I'm sorry I have to go." Martin said, "I have to apologize to Ruthie before it's too late, before I lose her."

"It's about time." Beau said, "Now go."

Martin gave his dad a quick hug and headed down the hall, running. He bumped directly into Jenny Harpy.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her, she was beginning to freak him out.

"I need to talk to you and I have something to show you." She said.

"I have to go."

"It will only take a minute." She said opening the door to a small room, "Please then you can leave. And I'll never bother you again."

"Fine." Martin said knowing she'd never leave him be if he didn't. But as soon as he entered the room the door slammed shut and the lock turned. Jenny had locked him in.

"I can't have you chasing after that little whore, now can I." she said from the other side of the door, "I'll be back to let you out when you've had sometime to think."

Lucy smiled when the bathroom door opened and Kevin entered. He walked over and pushed her up against the bathroom sink and began to kiss her neck. Lucy moaned as she felt her insides turn to goo. Kevin quickly unbuttoned her shirt as she ripped his top off and unzipped his pants. Before they both knew it, both of there clothes lay on the floor.

"Kevin." She said leaning into him and running kisses along his jawbone, "Take me to the bedroom."

"With pleasure," Kevin said kissing her on the mouth passionately. He managed to pick her up with there lips never parting. He began to head to the bedroom until he slipped on the water that Lucy had left behind when she'd gotten out of the shower. Landing on the floor, Lucy looked daze for a moment and the looked down at Kevin and saw the blood.

"Kevin, you hit your head on the side of the tub." She stated dumbly.

"Owww." Kevin groaned as Lucy helped him sit up.

"Oh crap I left my purse in the car." Olivia said, "I'll be right back."

"Hurry back so we know what to order on the pizza." Freddie called after her. Olivia flew down the stairs to find Lucy coming in the back door.

"Can you tell Ruthie to watch Savannah?" She said rambling nervously, "Kevin's had a bit of an accident, he busted his head open, and we have to go to the ER."

"Ouch," Olivia said sympathetically, "Is he going to be ok?"

"Yeah he popularly won't even need stitches." Lucy said.

"How did it happen?"

"He needs me." Lucy said obviously avoiding the question, "Will you tell Ruthie?"

"Yeah." Olivia said taking Savannah.

"Thanks," Lucy said heading out back the door.

"Dada gotta boob-boo." Savannah said pointing to her head.

"I know." Olivia said as the boys came down the stairs. And then she heard a scream.

"OLIVIA?!" Freddie called, leaving Savannah with the boys she ran up the stairs.

"What?"

"Ruthie's water broke." Freddie said.

"But she's not due for another four weeks." Olivia said, but looking over she saw Ruthie and a stain of on the floor.

"Oh my god!?" Olivia said, "We've got to go to the hospital, NOW."

"I know." Freddie said. Taking Ruthie's arms they both helped her down the stairs and out the front door.

**Author's Note: **

**Hey,**

**Ok I changed my mind and decided to put up two chapters this week! Enjoy!**

**-Caroline**


	41. Chapter FortyOne: The Sticky Situations

Chapter Forty-One

**Chapter Forty-One**

**The Sticky Situations**

"No one is answering." Freddie said from where he sat in the backseat beside Ruthie. He'd called both Annie and Eric's cell phones.

"Did you leave a message?" Olivia questioned from the driver's seat.

"No, I don't want them to freak out." Freddie said, "But what if they don't answer and they miss the birth?"

"Great." Ruthie said sarcastically, "Could it possible get any better."

"Freddie stop worrying, her." Olivia ordered.

"Where are they?" Ruthie said to no one in particular, as the car came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the neighborhood.

"Olivia, why did you stop the car?" Freddie asked.

"I didn't."

"What do you mean you didn't?" Ruthie said trying to stay calm.

"The car broke down."

"Oh this is just great…Owww," Ruthie cried at as she felt another sharp pain.

"Deep breaths," Freddie said as used is Lamaze coaching, "In and out."

"Oooo…..Just shut up Freddie….ooooo….I'm sorry……." Ruthie said as they pain finally began to subside.

"Its ok I know how painful it is." Freddie said.

"SHUT UP, FRED FLINSTONE!?" Olivia said turning back to face him, "You've just crossed the line. You don't know what it feels like and nether do I so shut it, before I smack you."

"Well I can imagine."

"No you can't." Olivia said getting out and going to look at the engine.

"This is just great." Ruthie said finally able to talk again, she began to laugh because if she didn't she would have cried, "I'm having a baby in the backseat of a car. Oh that's so funny. And I got pregnant when I was drunk with a guy I'd loved for years. And now I'm never going to see him again. Oh it's so comical."

"I texted Mac but he hasn't responded." Olivia said getting back into the car.

"Call Simon," Ruthie said still laughing.

"Hey Simon." Freddie said, "Ruthie's in labor."

"WHAT?!" Simon screamed flying out off the couch, "But she's not due for another month. Is she ok? Is the baby ok? Where is she? Why did you call? Why didn't she call? Or My mom or dad? What's going on? Oh never mind I'll be at the hospital in about an hour." Simon said hanging up before Freddie could answer a single question.

"He's coming but he's an hour away." Freddie said, "He was acting like a crazy person. Asking a million questions and then not letting me answer them."

"Well I don't think I can wait an hour." Ruthie said, "What if something's wrong. I'm a month early."

"I've got it. I know who to call." Olivia said grabbing Freddie's cell from him, she quickly dialed the number of one of the greatest men she knew and the man who seemed to save her from all of her sticky situations.

Martin still couldn't get a signal even though he was standing on top of a chair by the window. He'd gone all around the tiny room and still he had no bars. He was so furious at Jenny. This could ruin everything. This could have been the last chance he had to get Ruthie back; he just didn't know what he was going to. Jumping off the chair he took a seat and began to look around in search of something to break down the door.

The car coming down the hill was like a knight in shining armor on his noble steed or a butler in his beat up Cadillac.

"I'm here to the rescue, Miss Olivia." Willington said coming to a stop by the curb, "Get in, we've got a baby to deliver."

"Thank you, Willy." Ruthie said getting in next to Freddie in the backseat.

"Yeah thank you." Olivia said kissing Willington's papery white cheek and causing him to blush. He was like the grandfather she'd never had.

"Your welcome," Willington said as he hit the gas and began to sing, "Every day is Labor day, Oh every day is a labor day……"

Martin had now hit the door with the chair about a hundred times but it hadn't budged. Dropping the chair he screamed once again, "Hello, I'm locked in. Help?! Anyone HELP?!"

Was the room sound proof too he wondered as he continued to scream and pound on the door. He was not giving up until he got Ruthie back. He loved her more than anything. All he could think about was how he'd been such a fool. And he would do anything to get her back. He was _going _to doing anything to get her back, even if it took the rest of his life, because he couldn't imagine not having her in it. The truth was he could survive without her but he didn't want to.

"Oh….ouch….ooh god…I don't think I can take this……paaaaaaain!?" Ruthie said grabbing her stomach; her contractions seemed to be getting worse.

"Can you go a little faster, Willy?" Olivia begged.

"I'm already going the speed limit, Miss Olivia." Willington said.

"Oh…..Owww….I can't do this…..MARTIN?!" Ruthie screamed, "I….want….Martin?!...Why??...Doesn't….he love….me….Oh….Owww?!"

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Willington said speeding up, "I'm breaking the law; I'm going to end up in jail."

"No you not." Olivia said patting his arm but the instant he speed up a cop car came up behind them his lights flashing.

"Pull over." Freddie said.

"Owww…."

"Keep going." Olivia said, "Don't you pull over, Willy."

"I have to." Willington said pulling off.

"License and registration…" the cop said coming up to window.

"I….I….don't…want to have a baby in the back of a car…..oh…..OWWWW…" Ruthie cried.

"We need to get to a hospital." Olivia told the cop, "She's having a baby."

It finally hit Martin that there was a window in the room when he passed it for the hundredth time with his pacing, "I'm such an idiot."

Standing up on the chair once again he unlatched the window and began to crawl out through it backwards so he'd land on his feet. It was a rather small window so it was no surprise when he found himself unable to move.

"Oh you have to be kidding me." Martin said, "Could anything else possibly go wrong?"

But as soon as he the words left his mouth he felt his pants tear and begin to slid down his legs. Martin felt a cool breeze run across his behind and he knew his boxer shorts had joined his pants that were now wrapped around his ankles. The only thing he could think about was how was he going to get to Ruthie now?

Luckily or maybe not so luckily the window was over by the parking lot where all the wedding guests were seeing the bride and groom off.

"Martin?!" his dad said shocked as the entire wedding party turned and ran over to view the best man hanging out the window mooning everyone.

**Author's Note:**

**Hey Guys,**

**I had to put this update up early because I'm moving and I have to unplug my computer. I'm not sure when I'll have it back together, most likely it will be in a week or so. Hopefully by Monday, August 31. I'm sorry that there has been yet another delay in my updates. And I want to say thank you to everyone for all the reviews you've sent, there are only a few more chapters left so, I really do want to know what you think over all.**

**-Caroline**


	42. Chapter FortyTwo: The Emergencies

Chapter Forty-Two

**Chapter Forty-Two**

**The Emergencies **

When the shock of seeing his son hanging out of a window began to die down, Beau took off his jacket and tied it around his son's waist. He had to admit he felt extremely bad for Martin, because this was obviously a story that was going to be told again and again. Years from now it would be recited at Christmas dinners and other family gatherings, each time earning a laugh and a new person to relay the story.

"What made you use a window instead of a door?" Beau asked instantly regretting his question, because he feared the answer

"It wasn't by choice," Martin replied with a sigh as he related his story to his Dad, "I was going to go talk to Ruthie, when this 'psycho chick' as I'm sure Mac would say, locked me in here. I pounded on the door forever and no one heard me. I tried to use my cell phone but I had no service. Then I noticed the window."

"I've got the butter!" Michelle called cheerfully running towards them. She didn't even notice the branch until the train on her dress got caught and she tripped sending the butter flying; into the window, breaking it into a million little pieces.

Ruthie, Olivia, Freddie, and Willington, the butler now had a police escort, which seemed to ease a bit of Ruthie's stress but not for long.

"OH, NO?!" Olivia screamed causing Willington to slam on the breaks and everyone to ask, "What?!"

"The children," Olivia announced, "We left the children."

"What…Ooh…..eeee….ewww….Children?" Ruthie questioned feeling another contraction start.

"Sam, David, and Savannah…." Olivia said in an apologetic voice.

"Ooh…..Savannnnah?" Ruthie asked letting out a scream.

"Lucy dropped her off," Olivia explained, "Kevin had an accident."

"It looks like he's only going to need a couple of stitches and he doesn't seem to have a concussion." The ER doctor, Elizabeth Hartford said to Lucy.

"Well that's good, right?" Lucy questioned.

"Yes, but I need to know when he had his last tetanus shot?"

"Eleven, maybe twelve years ago."

"Then I need to know what he hit his head on." Dr. Hartford said causing Lucy's cheeks to turn a light shade of pink.

"Um…the…" Lucy said turning darker, "the bath tub."

He was her husband, but that didn't seem to matter. For some reason she felt like a teenager, she felt like she was sixteen again and her parents had just walked in on her boyfriend and her making out,

"And this happened how?"

"Is that relevant?" Lucy asked feeling ridiculous.

"Actually yes, because there could be s medical reason that caused him to hit his head."

"I don't feel so well," Lucy said suddenly and then proceeded to pass out.

The emergency room doors flew open, "What've we got?"

"Young make got stuck in the window and the glass broke." The EMT said, "Shards of glass are stuck in his lower back and buttocks."

**Author's Note:**

**Hey,**

**I'm sorry I didn't upload on Monday but I was moving and it turned into quite a bit of commotion. It took my family two trips (we're moving 8 hours away), Three huge Uhauls, two mini vans full, two truck fulls, and one car full….I didn't realize how much stuff we had…LOL! I haven't even begun to start unpacking. I'm going to try to have updates every Monday but until I'm settled in…don't be surprised if they're late a day or two.**

**Until Next Monday (or Tuesday or Wednesday),**

**Caroline **

**P.S.- I want to say Thank you for all of the reviews, I really really appreciate them.**


	43. Chapter FortyThree: The Labor of Love

**Chapter Forty-Three**

**The Labor of Love**

Mac Smith was on a very important mission. He had to find Martin, Annie, and Eric, as well as take care of the kids. At first it sounded easy, but he instantly realized how 'easy' it was when he entered the Camden house and found Sam, David, and Savannah in the kitchen. The boys were literally shaking from too much sugar and Savannah was practically hanging from the chandlers.

"What's with you guys?" Mac asked.

"We ate…" Sam began.

"….the Halloween candy from…." David said.

"….last Halloween." Sam finished.

"All?" Mac questioned.

"All of the…."

"…left over candy!?" Sam finished.

"Candy, candy, candy," Savannah screamed, bouncing up and down, "Candy!?"

"Can I get you anything, Miss Ruthie?" Willington asked nervously, hospitals made him uncomfortable.

"Ice, please." Ruthie replied as she watched Olivia pace around the room and Freddie excitedly bounce about the room.

"Are you comfortable?" Olivia asked, "How do you feel?"

"Fine right now, but I'd feel even better if I knew where my parents are and where Simon is. Shouldn't he be here by now?"

Simon Camden excitedly pulled into the hospital's parking garage. He'd just made the height limit after all he still had a huge giraffe sticking out of his sunroof, covered by a blue tarp. Smiling Simon grabbed the balloons and flowers, he'd stopped to purchase out of the backseat. Turning he bumped directly into someone, nearly knocking her over.

"I'm sorry." Simon said grabbing her before she fell, he nearly dropped her when she turned her face up and he was greeted with the loveliest pair of green eyes he'd ever seen.

"No, no I'm sorry," she said, "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Here," Simon said handing her the keys she'd dropped.

"Thank you," She said breaking into a smile that faded when she looked at what Simon held in his hands, "Oh you're a new father."

"What?"

"The flowers. The balloons." She explained.

"Oh, no just an uncle." Simon replied quickly, "A spoiling uncle."

"Well congratulations." She said obviously pleased that he wasn't having a baby.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome but I have to ask…what is that?" she asked eyeing the blue tarp.

"A giraffe."

"You're blood results are back and it's just as I expected." Dr. Hartford said smiling; she'd drawn blood after Lucy had fainted just to make sure everything was ok.

"What is what you expected?" Kevin asked taking Lucy's hand in his, he was feeling much better now that his head was stitched up and he'd been given medication.

"You're pregnant, Mrs. Kinkirk. Two months along is my estimation but I'm not a gynecologist so this isn't really my field of expertise."

"Pregnant?" Lucy questioned, "I'm pregnant?"

"Yes." Dr. Hartford said smiling.

"Kev, did you hear her I'm pregnant." Lucy said excitedly as she wrapped her arms around him.

"You'll never believe it," Simon said entering Ruthie's hospital room, "but I finally figured out how to get the giraffe out of my car."

"That's great, but right now I'm in labor?!" Ruthie yelled, "So a giraffe doesn't seem so importan…oh…owww…ooo…eee…"

"I need to know if Miss Camden would like an epidural?" the doctor asked coming into the room.

"No!" Freddie said at the exact same moment as Simon said, "Yes!?"

"Yes." Simon repeated.

"No."

"Yes," Simon said counteracting his no, "She's in serve pain."

"Natural is best!" Freddie said.

"My _sister's_ in pain."

"It's better for the _baby_." Freddie said, "In my opinion and she's my _best_ friend."

"Well she's my _sister_ and _sister_ tromps _friend_." Simon replied.

"It does not!?" Freddie said.

"FREDDIE COME HERE?!" Ruthie ordered loudly.

"Yes?" Freddie said as Ruthie grabbing him by the shirt collar.

"You listen to me. When you try pushing a watermelon out of lemon then you can decide weather or not to use a pain killer otherwise shut up!?" Ruthie yelled, "I'm getting an epidural."

"Ok, but can you please let go of my shirt collar you're wrinkling it." He said nervously as she released him and turned to face Simon.

"And you go out in the hall and try and find mom and dad using the pay phone," Ruthie said, "NOW?!"

"Yes ma'am." Simon said heading out the door as fast as he could.

Mac had done a lot, he'd even called Mary and Matt as a surprise for Ruthie. As for Martin he'd found out from a message on his phone that Martin was already at the hospital for a different reason. But he still hadn't found Annie and Eric. He'd tried everywhere; he'd called the church and their cells.

"Come on Mac," he told himself, "If you were married to Olivia and you had just gone to a wedding where would you…..I GOT IT?!"

Ruthie had begun to scream, "I want the baby out of me now. I want it out now?!" but as soon as she began to push that all changed, she began to scream, "Put it back in. It hurts to bad. I want it back in."

"I think it's too late, Babe." Olivia said blotting the sweat off of Ruthie's head with a towel.

"One more big push, Ruthie." The doctor said, "You can do it."

"No I can't."

"Yes you can. That's a girl. One more push. I see the head." She said, "Keep pushing."

"Oh Ruthie," Olivia said in awe as a baby's wail filled the room.

"It's a…."

**Author's Note:**

**Hey,**

**Sorry I was a week and a day late on this update!**

**Ok so I left you at a cliffhanger, a boy or a girl? I decided the sex of the baby a long time ago and for a reason but I'd like to hear what you guys think it is and what you think of the chapter.**

**Until Next Monday,**

**Caroline**


	44. Chapter FortyFour: The Precious Things

Chapter Forty-Four

**Chapter Forty-Four**

**The Precious Things in Life **

She was absolutely perfect, Ruthie thought as she looked down at her beautiful baby girl. Her daughter had, a head full of baby soft curls and the sweetest little rosebud lips. She had the tiniest little fingers and toes. All Ruthie could do, was stare in awe at the miracle that was her daughter. She couldn't believe that something could be so precious or that this feeling of unconditional love would sweep over her.

"She's so beautiful." Olivia said looking down at the newest edition to the room.

"She is." Ruthie said feeling her smile grow.

"She looks like her mother." Olivia added.

"Mother?" Ruthie said in awe, "I'm a mother. I'm a mom."

"How do you feel?" Olivia asked concerned.

"Tried and sore, but deliriously happy," Ruthie said kissing her daughter on the forehead for the first time.

The door to the hospital room swung open as Freddie and Simon charged into Ruthie's room, with huge grins on there aces.

"So?" Simon questioned excitedly, "What is it? Girl or Boy?"

"You have a niece." Ruthie replied.

"Can't you tell?" Freddie said, "She's an absolute beauty."

"No I can't," Simon said, "I'm not good with newborns and there sexes."

"Well the blanket should have given it away." Freddie said pointing, "It's PINK?!"

"Sorry I didn't notice." Simon replied sarcastically.

"You two, shush it." Olivia ordered, "The room is only allowed to have positive energy."

"Isn't it because of a positive that we're all here?" Simon joked.

"That's not funny." Olivia said.

"Actually it was." Freddie said, "I didn't think you had it in you."

A knock at the door finally silenced Freddie and Simon for awhile at least but with them silence rarely lasted.

"It's Willington." Willington called from the other side of the door.

"Come on in." Ruthie called as Willington opened the door and let himself into the room.

"She's a beautiful baby." Willington said smiling and holding his arms outstretched, "May I?"

"Of course." Ruthie said reluctantly handing him her daughter. Not because Willington didn't know what he was doing because he did, Willington was one of fifteen and he was the eldest.

"What have you decided to name her, Miss Ruthie?" Willington asked taking the baby into his arms.

"Mackenzie Rose Camden-Brewer." Ruthie said smiling a sad smile, "Martin and I picked it out before we…before…"

"It's ok," Olivia said stopping her.

"So I'm her godfather, right?" Freddie asked happily.

"I'm Protestant, Freddie."

"So I'm Catholic."

"Yeah but I'm not."

"So am I the godfather?" Freddie asked again.

"Fine, Freddie you're her godfather." Ruthie said rolling her eyes.

Annie and Eric sat in silence as they drove to Glen Oak Community Hospital. Annie couldn't believe she'd missed Ruthie's labor, just like she'd missed Lucy's and Mary's. It had sounded like a fun idea, getting a room at the Inn that had held the wedding reception. Well fun had ended the minute the manger knocked on their room door and informed them that their daughter was in labor. A Mac Smith had called looked for them.

Annie's heart was just breaking and she really didn't want Ruthie to move to Buffalo, New York, but what choice did she have. She couldn't make the decision for Ruthie and she couldn't bring herself to tell Ruthie how she felt. She couldn't put more on Ruthie when she was already going through so much.

"You two stay here and watch Savannah." Mac said heading over to the nurse's station in the emergency room. It was then that Lucy stopped and noticed them.

"What are you doing here, Mac?" Lucy asked, "And why do you have the boys and my daughter with you?"

"I knew I was forgetting someone.' Mac said.

"Forgetting someone?" Kevin asked, walking up, he was feeling much better now that his head was ok.

"To call,"

"For?" Lucy asked.

"Ruthie, she had the baby." Mac said almost matter-of-factly.

"WHAT?!" Lucy screamed, "Where is she?"

"I was just going to find out what room she was in and what room Martin's in." Mac said.

"Martin?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah, he had some kind of accident. Oh and don't tell Ruthie about it right now or Liv will kill me and then bring me back to clean up the mess."

"Ruthie?" Lucy called opening her sister's hospital room door and letting herself in.

"Yeah?" Ruthie said waking up.

"How are you?" Lucy asked entering the room all the way.

"Sore and tired." Ruthie replied stifling a yawn.

"And the baby?"

"Is healthy and beautiful. The nurses took her to the nursery to give her a bath."

"Her?" Lucy questioned, "It's a girl."

"Yes," Ruthie said smiling, "And she's just perfect, Luce."

"I can't believe you did this all by yourself. I can't believe you gave birth all by yourself."

"I was going to have to give birth all on my on, Lucy." Ruthie said laughing, "I don't think anyone else could do it for me."

"I know. What I meant was without anyone with you." Lucy said taking a seat on Ruthie's bed.

"I wasn't exactly alone. There were nurses, Dr. Grace, and Olivia." Ruthie said, "her, Freddie, and Simon went with the nurses to help bathe Mackenzie."

"Mackenzie…hmmm…I like it."

"Me too." Ruthie said smiling, "I wish they'd hurry back with my daughter."

As soon as the words left Ruthie's mouth the door swung open and the nurses wheeled in her beautiful baby, Mackenzie Rose Camden-Brewer.

Author's Note:

Hey,

Make sure you read last weeks I accidentally uploaded the wrong chapter, sorry about that. So tell me what you think.

Until Next Monday,

Caroline


	45. Chapter FortyFive: The CamdenBrewer Bab

Chapter Forty-Five

**Chapter Forty-Five**

**The Camden-Brewer Baby**

Martin couldn't believe his eyes when he looked through the nursery windows at his daughter. Ruthie's daughter. Their daughter. He felt tears fill his eyes when he read the name on her bed, Mackenzie Rose. The name they'd chosen together.

"Martin we should be getting back before the nurse notices you're gone." Mac said nervously, "Besides, Olivia would kill me if she knew."

"If she knew, what?" Martin said, "If she knew you helped me come see _my_ daughter?"

"Point taken," Mac replied, "but still…if the nurse comes back and you're gone…."

"Oh alright," Martin said reluctantly allowing Mac to lead him away from his new daughter and towards his hospital room.

"Ruthie?" Annie Questioned knocking on hospital room door that she hoped was her daughter's room.

"Yeah?" Ruthie's familiar voice called from inside.

"Oh Ruthie," Annie said flying in the room with Eric on her tail.

"Hey, Mom. Dad." Ruthie said as they both leaned in to give her a quick kiss.

"I'm so sorry," Annie said taking a seat on her bed.

"For?"

"Not being here." Annie said tucking one of Ruthie's curls behind her ear.

"It's ok."

"No it's not," Eric said, "It's my fault. I'm sorry too."

"Well it's over now." Ruthie said, "And I'm fine and your granddaughter is fine."

"Granddaughter?" Annie and Eric said in the same breath.

"It's a girl!" Mary said from the doorway.

"Mary?" Eric said happily pulling her into a hug.

"What…How did you know?" Ruthie asked as Annie gave Mary a hug.

"Mac."

"Mac?" Everyone in the room questioned.

"Yeah he called just about everyone." Mary said as someone came up behind her,

"Robbie?!" Everyone squealed, "How….the….how would Mac know about Robbie?"

"I was in Florida with Charlie and Carlos visiting Robbie when Mac called my cell phone." Mary said turning to Robbie, "I thought I told you to wait."

"You did. Hey Snookie." Robbie said walking over to Ruthie and giving her a hug, "So where's the baby?"

"She's so tiny." Robbie said looking at the baby that the nurse was holding up.

"I agree." George said.

"She's beautiful." Matt and Sarah both said smiling brightly.

"She's perfect." Annie added.

"She's just so…" Eric said unable to finish as tears filled his eyes.

"She has Ruthie's nose." Julie said.

"But Martin's eyes." Beau said moving closer for a better look.

"She's got Camden in her." Colonel said smiling proudly.

"But Brewer in her too." Ruth said smiling a Beau.

"She's so cute." Hank said putting his arms around Julie.

"So can we hold?" Carlos said asking the one thing they all wanted to do.

"She's too new." Lucy said having learned from Savannah, "Too much exposure to germs."

"I'm so proud." Annie said hugging Lucy, "I thought you'd never learn."

"He's gone?!" Michelle yelled running towards Beau.

"What?"

"I went to get a cup of coffee and when I came back he was gone." She said, "Martin's gone."

"Martin's gone?" Everyone questioned.

"That's what I said." Michelle replied.

"Did you check the bathroom?" Kevin asked.

"Well he can't actually use the bathroom but yes I checked!"

"Then let's go alert security." Colonel said with a sigh.

While the entire hospital searched for Martin who had actually returned to his room. Ruthie remained oblivious to the fact that he was even at the hospital. She assumed everyone was still owing and awing over the baby. Sighing Ruthie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It had been months since she'd prayed for anything but she found herself doing exactly that, "God, please give me the strength to do right by my daughter. And God please help me learn to let go of Martin, because I love him and…and he…doesn't…love…me."

Not far away Martin too was praying, which he didn't do very often, "Lord please forgive me for my sins and help me to prove to Ruthie that I do love her and always have."

"Martin?" Beau said entering the room and sighing with relief, "Thank God."

"What?"

"Michelle came back and couldn't find you." Beau explained, "Where did you go?"

"To see Mackenzie," Martin said closing his eyes.

"How did you…on your own?" Beau asked.

"Mac."

**Author's Note:**

**Hey,**

**I hope you liked this chapter…I just added a Q&A on my profile so check it out:)**

**-Caroline**


	46. Chapter FortySix: The Fight Begins

Chapter Forty-Six

**Chapter Forty-Six**

**The Fight Begins**

Ruthie didn't understand how someone could be so happy and so sad at the same time, yet that was exactly how she felt. Forcing a happy smile onto her face, she allowed Matt to roll her wheelchair into the hospital elevator. She had to admit she was glad that Mackenzie and her were finally getting out of the hospital. Leaning down she fixed Mackenzie's pink hat and kissed her on the forehead. Smiling genuinely loving this little angel, she inhaled the sweet smell of new baby.

"I love you, Little One." She whispered. Every time she looked at her she noticed that with each passing moment Mackenzie looked more and more like Martin.

Martin let out a very loud sigh as his Dad helped him get into the car and he sat down on the doughnut. His rear he had to admit felt much better. The cuts hadn't been as deep as the EMT's had originally thought. And all the glass had been removed. He'd only needed ten stitches to the doctors' amazement.

Sighing once again, Martin buckled his seatbelt. Even though he was surrounded by people and his father, he still felt so alone. He didn't understand how you could be alone and yet not alone.

"So when do you think you'll be ready to move to Buffalo?" Ruth asked Ruthie happily as she tucked a blanket around her great granddaughter.

"Um…well I've been thinking about that a lot lately." Ruthie replied, "I think I need to stay near my mom and I think….I think I've know it all along…the truth is I'm running away from something."

"Well that's never good." Ruth said giving Ruthie a supportive hug, "I understand completely. In fact I'm proud of your decision."

"But Colonel?"

"Will understand too," Ruth said quickly, kissing Ruthie on the head, "But this little one will have to come with you for a visit."

"She will." Ruthie said looking down at Mackenzie who was now lightly snoring in her bassinet, "You know what I need some fresh air….Can you…"

"Sure." Ruth said smiling.

Martin had been thinking about this for a very very very long time. Actually he'd been thinking about it for months. Maybe even before that.

"I need some fresh air." He said grabbing the velvet box off his dresser and walking down the stairs and out the door. Crossing the street he opened the Camden's white gate and let himself into there backyard.

Ruthie stood with her back to him, kicking the dirt with her shoe. Her long chocolate brown curls hanging lose down her back making his fingers itch with the longing to run his fingers through her hair. Taking a deep lung filling breath he prepared himself to fight. To fight for Ruthie's love.

**Author's Note:**

**I know this chapter is short but I hope you guys like it. Please leave a review.**

**-Caroline**


	47. Chapter FortySeven: The Past and The Pre

Chapter Forty-Seven

**Chapter Forty-Seven**

**The Past and The Present**

_Ruthie felt like someone was following her and Peter, but she shrugged it off and continued to talk. Even though the feeling of someone watching still remained extremely strong and freaky, Peter didn't seem to notice. _

_Martin sighed ducking behind the tree. He didn't know what was drawling him to this girl or why he felt the urge to follow her. She was obviously going to be a real beauty when she was older but as for now she was too young for him and yet he kept following her. He had to admit he was even creeping himself out. Why was he following her? And why couldn't he stop following her? Why did he feel like something absolutely life altering had just happened, something to change him forever?_

"Martin?" Ruthie questioned spinning around to find him standing before with a look on his face, a look of determination, But for what?

"Don't say anything." Martin said coming to stand just inches away from her face, "Just let me speak…for once."

"Martin…what…"

"Ruthie, for once let me do the talking." Martin said taking her hand in his. The warmth of that simple touch seemed to fill her entire body. It seemed to make her whole and yet weak…weak enough that she allowed him to lead her through the gate and down the sidewalk. He finally stopped beside a huge old oak tree and took her other hand.

"Look at this tree." He said smiling.

"Martin?"

"Look at it," he begged, "please just look."

"Fine," Ruthie said looking up at the tree before her, "Awww…someone's put there initials in a heart…R…and…"

"M," Martin replied, "our initials and I did."

"What? When?" Ruthie question steeping back to get a better look at the tree.

_Martin for some reason couldn't sleep. Taking a deep breath he threw the covers off. Grabbing his coat off from the chair he climbed quietly down the Camden's stairs and headed outside. There was a cool night breeze blowing but for some reason he felt like he had to keep walking. And then there it was. The tree that had for some reason played a part in everything that had happened. A huge part in finding the Camdens. Then again maybe the real thing that had changed everything was Ruthie._

_Ruthie, what had made him think about her? Why did always seem to be thinking about where she was and how she felt? Was she ok? Was she happy? Or sad? Excited? Mad? Lonely? Why couldn't he stop thinking about this girl who had overpowered his life. The very same girl who had made him feel hope again and the safety of a family. _

_Looking up at the tree he smiled as the cold air swept over him. Putting his hands in his pocket he felt his pocket knife, from his dad, and idea bloom in his head. Pulling it out he flicked open the blade and felt his smile grow._

"A long time ago," he said, "This is after all _our_ tree."

"What?"

"Well you wouldn't remember would you?" Martin said more to himself than to her.

"Remember what?" she asked.

"The first time I ever saw you." He said, "The first time you changed my life."

"The first time you ever saw me was in my kitchen when you lied about being Simon's friend…now please explain what a tree has to do with that." She said.

"Well actually the tree has a lot to do with that….or then again maybe it was just a witness to it all…"

"A witness?"

"To the first time I saw you. You see in the kitchen was actually the second time I saw you." He said letting out a sigh as he confessed, "I kind of followed you and Peter home that day."

"You what?!" Ruthie asked outraged.

"It was years ago," Martin replied placing a hand on her cheek, "And the best day of my life."

"Martin…" Ruthie said unable to continue

"Right here is where I first saw you. I was standing right here behind this tree when it happened." He said, "It was the best day of my life…because I found you."

"Martin…I…"

"Please let me say this before I lose my nerve again. You see the fear of losing you is so…so…"

"Real." She said, "And terrifying."

"I can't get down on one knee," he said with a laughing smile as he reached into his pocket, "I might not be able to get up."

"Martin!?" Ruthie exclaimed when he popped open the box and she saw the diamond for the first time.

"This was my mother's and I hope it will be yours now." He said, "Ruthie Camden, you're my best friend. And I'll never be happy without you in my life. You're everything to me…the love of my life….I know I don't deserve you and I've been a real idiot but…but I love you and I always have…every since I saw you from behind this tree. And all I have to offer is love but…"

"That's all I need." Ruthie said pulling the ring out of the box and slipping on her finger before he even had a chance to finish.

"Ruthie?"

"Martin, I love you." She said wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him giving him her full heart for the first time. She let go and let him fully in…holding nothing back. The kiss seemed to fill his heart with everything he needed to fly. He wondered if there would ever be a moment in his life that felt this good again.

"So you'll marry me?" he said.

"Hmmmm….I'll have to think about that." She said wickedly.

"Ruthie?"

"Defiantly." She said as he pulled her in for another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

**Hey,**

**I'm sorry this was so late but I'm getting over a really bad cold. And there still is a little bit more coming so don't get sad yet.**

**Until Next Monday,**

**Caroline**


	48. Chapter FortyEight: The Picnic

**Chapter Forty-Eight**

**The Picnic**

"Am I really here with you?" Martin said running a hand across her check, "Am I really in your arms…FINALLY!?"

"Hmm…" Ruthie said giving him a pinch in the arm.

"What was that for?"

"It's not a dream." She said, "Just making sure that you know that!"

"A dream could never feel this good," he said, "I've learned that the hard way."

"Good." She said flipping him over so she straddled him, "Now promise me it's not a dream."

"It's not a dream."

"Promise me that were really married." She said, "Promise it wasn't a dream."

"It wasn't a dream." He said, "And we never will have to dream again."

"Oh?"

"Never again…or least I want because I have everything I could ever want."

"And so do I" she said leaning down and kissing him.

"How do you think your parents are going to take the elopement?" he asked.

"They'll just be happy that it's over for once." She said, "I think our _world wind_ romance has been hard on everyone. It's a good thing its over."

"I hate to break it to you but our world wind romance is never going to end." He said.

"I guess your right."

"You guess?" he said tickling.

"Your right!" she said laughing, "And I said it's a good thing for everyone else not me. I personally love it…Almost as much as I love you."

"What?!"

"I'm kidding Mr. Camden-Brewer." She said.

"Oh you are Mrs. Camden-Brewer," he said, "Well that can't go on unpunished."

"I think I'll like…no love every minute of that punishment!" Ruthie said a huge grin on her face. A grin only true love can bring out in a person.

_5 Months Later _

_August 30_

The august sun or what was left of it (since its days were numbered) seemed extremely too bright for Ruthie. It was worrying her or maybe Mackenzie was worrying. She'd nearly dumped an entire bottle of sunscreen on her. Putting her in the stroller still worried about the sun she pulled down the flap and let out a sigh.

"She's fine!" Martin said giving Ruthie a kiss on the check to reassure her.

"Well I just want to make sure she's ok," She replied and then panicked, "Where's her diaper bag?!"

"On your arm," He said laughing, "Calm down and take a deep breath."

"She's just an infant!"

"She's five months old and she can handle it. She is a Brewer." He said.

"A Brewer?"

"A Camden-Brewer." He said rolling his eyes, "Now take a breath before you pass out!"

"I know I'm a little scatterbrained but this is the biggest outing Mackenzie's gone on." Ruthie said.

"And whose fault is that?"

"Scatterbrained me," Ruthie said with a smile and laugh, "Oh alright this is going to be fun. And it is for Simon. I'm so proud of him."

"We all are."

"Hey ya'll," Michelle called, throwing her stuff in poor Beau's already full arms, causing him to nearly fall over as she ran over to where they stood.

"Hey Michelle." Martin and Ruthie said.

"So how's my favorite step-son?"

"Good." Martin said smiling at Ruthie and taking her hand, "In love and blissfully happy."

"And my favorite step-daughter-in-law?"

"The exact same." Ruthie said sharing a secret smile with Martin as she remembered early that morning in bed…then in the shower…Ruthie bit her lip and gave Martin a wicked grin that made him realize exactly what she was thinking about.

"And where in the world are you hiding my beautiful step-granddaughter?" Michelle said breaking the spell.

"Right here," Martin said picking up Mackenzie, "And Michelle you can stop with the step…I'm begging you."

"Good because saying step in front of everything is getting a little old." She said smiling as she took little Mackenzie's hand in hers.

"Wow…" Beau said nearly dropping everything in his hands.

"Here let me take something, Dad." Martin said grabbing the food that Michelle made (and no one would eat but it was the thought that counted right?).

"She gets prettier every time I see her." Beau said leaning in and giving granddaughter a big kiss on the check.

"Hey Mom sent us down to come and get you guys." Sam said.

"So come on," David said, "We've got to hurry if we want to surprise Simon."

"We made a big sign and everything." Sam added as they headed into the back yard.

"SURPRISE!?" Everyone screamed out as Simon walked out into the backyard.

"Oh you shouldn't have." Simon said in a way that told everyone, that someone had told him about the surprise party.

"LUCY?!" Everyone yelled turning to her.

"Sorry it was an accident." Lucy said smiling.

"We shouldn't have even told you." Mary said shaking her head.

"You wonder why you find out everything last." Matt said jokingly.

"It really was a complete accident." Lucy said, "And I didn't exactly tell him, Savannah did."

"Again…never should have told you." Mary said laughing as Charlie ran past her chasing Savannah.

"I'm pregnant," Lucy said, "So you can't stay mad at me."

"Sorry we're late." Olivia said with Mac in tow.

"Hey little Mac," Mac said walking straight over to Mackenzie.

"Must you call her that?" Martin asked.

"Yes I must!"

"You know I don't think you've ever told me what your real name is." Ruthie said smiling at Mac, "So?"

"I can't say."

"Come on." Simon said, "What is it?"

"You'll laugh."

"We won't laugh." Mary said smiling.

"It's…erwtwtewetwetsfs." Mac said mumbling.

"What?"

"ewtweywye." He mumbled.

"Huh?"

"MACKENZIE!?" He roared, "A girl's name. I was supposed to be a girl and my mom was on drugs and they decided not to change it ok."

"Let the boy call her Mac." Colonel said.

"I can't believe Simon finished his script so quickly." Annie said to Eric smiling as she made herself of plate.

"I'm so happy that it's not going to be a little independent film but a huge production." Eric said, "He deserves it."

"He does."

"We did good," Annie said smiling a sad but happy smile, "With all of them."

"Yeah….but remember we still have Sam and David." Eric said.

"Their going to be a handful I can tell." Annie said with a twinkling in her eye.

"I can't wait."

"Me either." She said with a laugh.

"I have some news," Freddie said smiling, "I got into your alma motor."

"You did?" Michelle squealed, "I'm so happy!"

"Me too," he said, "I got the letter a few weeks ago."

"Not that you bothered to tell your friends, Fred Flintstone." Olivia said smiling.

"I'm so happy for you." Ruthie said giving him a big hug.

"Oh alright," Olivia said giving him a hug, "So am I."

"So?" Freddie said asking Simon what he'd wanted to ask him ever since he'd read the screenplay, "Who's playing me?"

"They haven't cast you yet." Simon said.

"It's going to be nearly impossible," Freddie said, "No ones is as good looking as me or as great as me."

"Ah…huh." Simon said.

"So who have they cast?" Martin asked.

"I wanted to show you guys." Simon said grabbing the bag he had on the table, "Well they cast Mom and Dad. They're going to be played by Catherine Hicks and Stephen Collins."  
"Oh I love them." Annie exclaimed.

"And they cast Ruthie, Martin, and me so far." He said.

"So?" Mary asked.

"Well Martin is being played by that little kid who was in Road to Perdition with Tom Hanks."

"Hmmm." Martin said trying to remember what that kid looked like.

"And me?" Ruthie asked.

"Here." Simon said reaching into his bag, "Her name's Mackenzie Rosman and she hasn't been in anything else but some commercials and a small part in a movie as a child."

"She's pretty." Martin said looking at the photo, "but she couldn't hold a candle to you."

"You're going to make me throw up." Mac said.

"And who's playing you?" Ruth asked.

"This genius," Simon said, "I mean he's going places and he's really good looking. A real ladies man."

"Who?"

"David Gallagher." He said, "I mean he's great."

"Hey, does anyone know how to receive the messages on my cell phone?" Eric asked, "It keeps beeping. It has been since Mackenzie was born."

"Sure." Matt said.

"You have seven new messages." The automated voice said after Matt typed in Eric's pass code.

"Hello Mr. Camden, its Mac Smith and I'm calling because Ruthie's in labor. Everything's fine but she wants you and Mrs. Camden. They've taken her to Glen Oak Community Hospital." The first message said.

"End of message." The automated voice said.

"What's going? Why aren't you guys answering? Why aren't you at the hospital? Isn't Ruthie having the baby? Call me back? Oh yeah it's Simon by the way!" The second message said.

"End of message."

"It's Simon again. I'm here and you're not. Where are you?" The third message said.

"End of message."

"Ruthie's kicked me out of the room. Where are you guys?" The fourth message said.

"End of message."

"She's in a lot of pain. I can hear her screaming. I'm little scared and I've never wanted or been more glad to be a guy than now." The fifth message said.

"End of message."

"I think I heard a cry!" The sixth message said.

"End of message."

"The baby is here!? And it's a miracle. She's beautiful. Oh It's……My screenplay….I've got it….It's the…Martin and Ruthie Story!?"

"End of messages." –The automated voice

**Author's Note:**

**Hey,**

**Alright so the story has finally come to an end. Please leave a comment telling me what you think of the last chapter and the whole story. And leave a comment even if it's your fist because I really want to hear what you think. I hope you liked it. I really have appreciated all the reviews and I've enjoyed writing it…even if it only was for practice.**

**I've left several storylines loosely open…so I **_**might**_** make a sequel…but I'm not sure. I'll just have to see. So I guess…that's it.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**Caroline**


End file.
